“A deal has been struck. The pictures have been deleted.”
Regardless of who was relaying the news I wasn’t about to accept without question that we had simply given up sexual photos of one of Wisconsin’s most ambitious politicians.
“You realize” I replied calmly, “Voss now has a clear path to the Speakership?”
“Would you rather have Kramer or Voss?”
They had a point. At the time, Bill Kramer was the pugnacious Majority Leader who had powered Governor Walker’s Act 10 into law. Robin Voss on the other hand was more of a centrist deal maker who wasn’t afraid to make friends across the aisle.
And that’s how we were alerted to the photos in the first place. One of the most powerful members of the Republican Assembly Voss had begun a lewd affair with a junior member of his caucus, Representative Michelle Litjens. As their affair gained more attention, both individuals began divorce proceedings with their spouses and Litjens abruptly left office.
Voss frequented a Madison bar, Inn of the Park, across from the state Capitol. During one night of late drinking Voss began bragging about bedding Litjens and sexual photos were allegedly produced that showed the different positions he’d had her in.
That’s why I was shocked to learn the alleged photos had been willfully deleted by my colleagues.
“All right” I said, “What’s the deal?”
“The photos are gone, Kramer’s removal has been arranged and our hands are clean.”
“Impossible,” I said, “Kramer is the lion of the right. Conservative talk radio will never allow it.”
“Yes, they will. Sykes will see to that.”
And that was that. Conversation over. If Sykes was in on another kill I knew it was a done deal.
Days later Bill Kramer was accused of sexual assault while under the influence of alcohol. Sykes took to the air and reminded his listeners that as the party of morality Republicans had no choice, but to remove Kramer from power.
It was that easy.
The year was 2014 and Sykes was the undisputed king of Wisconsin politics. He had helped elect Walker to the governorship, Johnson to the US Senate, and had anointed winners in more Republican primaries than a man could count. And, to top it off, his wife ran the Bradley Foundation’s multi-million-dollar grant program which is second only to the Koch Brothers in size and funding. If Charlie didn’t like you your career was over and his wife wasn’t granting your non-profit any money either. That’s just how Wisconsin politics worked.
No one dared challenged Charlie. Except this time things were different. Kramer’s allies smelled blood in the water and they refused to play ball. They never denied Kramer’s conduct, but rather they sensed a coup rather than a desire for real justice.
Voss feared State Senator Leah Vukmir would attempt to clean house by removing Kramer and then pushing for Voss’s ouster as well. A series of phone calls was made and for days we feared Vukmir, in an attempt to expose Voss, had secretly alerted and/or transferred copies of the explicit photos to members of the conservative echo chamber.
In retaliation, Vukmir was summoned by Voss and informed that all her bills were to be frozen and stonewalled. Specifically, Vukmir was told her signature piece of legislation, Senate Bill 525, a Special Needs Scholarship Program for disabled pupils, would never see the light of day.
When it was over Vukmir had sworn she neither had the photos or forwarded them on. While effective, Voss’s heavy-handed approach to Vukmir seemed like a threatening act of over-reach against a popular female state senator. Except, once again, we were assured Sykes would take care of it.
And he did. Charles J. Sykes kept his word. Leah Vukmir was silenced. Robin Voss became Speaker of the Assembly. And those photos? I doubt even the venerated Daniel Bice and all his clout at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel could ever make them appear again.