More charges are expected to be filed soon against Wis. Gov. Scott Walkers aides for campaign activities performed on the taxpayers dime. These charges are part of the ongoing John Doe Probe.
Already, the probe has led to multiple felony charges against Walker's onetime deputy chief of staff, Tim Russell, and former county veterans official Kevin Kavanaugh. They are accused of taking more than $60,000 in donations intended for Operation Freedom, an annual event at the county zoo for veterans and their families.
Russell's domestic partner, Brian Pierick, was also hit with two felony counts for child enticement.
The John Doe Probe began during the Gubernatorial campaign in 2010 to investigate the use of Milwaukee County facilities, equipment and staff for political and campaign activities, a crime. Already there have been resignations related to it and admissions of using county time and computers to relentlessly attack Walker opponents and praise Walker in local and media blogs.
Walker has been already been feeling the heat from the submission of more than a million signatures to recall him, his Lt. Governor, and 4 Republican State Senators, including the Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, this past Tuesday. Other than expressing "disappointment" at the child enticement charges against one person arrested recently, it's been cricket from Walker as he scrambles to distance himself from the investigation.
Asked if he has hired his own attorney for advice regarding the John Doe investigation, Walker declined to answer.
"I've not been a subject of this," the first-term Republican governor said. "At some point in the future, if I am, I'll discuss that with you."
His campaign hired Steve Biskupic of Michael Best & Friedrich in late 2010, when officials subpoenaed campaign emails. Last year, Walker's campaign paid Michael Best nearly $110,000 for "compliance issues."
At least eight of his former aides and associates have hired criminal defense lawyers.
The charges will not be the end of the 20 month old investigation, just part of the probe that has been completed. The John Doe Probe, started to investigate the use of Milwaukee County facilities, equipment and staff for Walker campaign activities has subsequently gone in several different directions as more information about wrongdoings becomes available.
The next phase, insiders say, is focusing on the role some of Walker's closest associates and county employees had in a real estate deal involving a county agency. The point man on the deal, real estate broker Andrew Jensen, was arrested last month for allegedly failing to cooperate with the investigation. Jensen, who was not charged, is set to meet with prosecutors this week.
Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf declined to discuss any phase of the probe - including whether taxpayers footed the bill for campaign labor.
Since 2002 there have been several plea bargains of Republican legislators, including former Republican Assembly Majority Leaders and Speakers using taxpayer resources for political activities.
The current John Doe Probe has already resulted in a pleabargained fine (the largest ever) against a Walker campaign donor who avoided donation limits by funnelling money through his employees and the recently filed charges against a Walker aide and 2 others for embezzeling funds from a Veterans program and child enticement. Several former Walker aides have been granted immunity in exchange for their testimony and search warrants, seizures of computers and other evidence has occurred.
It's piling high for Walker. I'm wondering if there's enough money in the entire world to whitewash all this away. The skeletons are starting to explode from his closet.
Update: Recall Edition: Certainly unrelated to this post, but not enough for a separate one, recalled Republican State Senators have today released the information that they have 3/4 of a million dollars already for their recall campaigns (it's ever so nice to have billionaire backers, isn't it). Full reports are due before midnight from all of the recalled State Senators as well as Gov. Scott Walker and his Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.
Best of all, the release today includes a whine from Republican Stte Senator and Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald:
“These expensive and frivolous recalls launched by the Democrats are doing nothing to move our state forward, and fed up taxpayers are fighting back,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said in a statement. “Our reforms are working, and taxpayers realize that our state is finally heading in the right direction.”
Want a tissue to go with your propaganda?
The taxpayers have spoken. More than a million of them. To recall the radical extremism that the Republicans have imposed on our state. It isn't working. It's backfiring.
I. Need. More. Popcorn.