Scott Walker the Next Republican Governor to be Indicted

Are there any Republican governors not currently under indictment?

Prosecutors Allege Scott Walker At Center Of Campaign Finance Criminal Conspiracy
Posted: 06/19/2014 6:11 pm EDT Updated: 54 minutes ago
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WASHINGTON -- Prosecutors allege that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) was at the center of a criminal conspiracy to illegally coordinate the activities of independent conservative groups during recall elections in his state in 2011 and 2012, according to documents released Thursday and first reported on by theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Prosecutors contend in the documents that Walker had direct knowledge that his top deputies R.J. Johnson and Deborah Jordahl were involved in the alleged illegal coordination between the Walker campaign and 12 conservative groups.

The documents, part of a John Doe investigation, were unsealed in a lawsuit brought by the Wisconsin Club for Growth, the central player in the alleged illegal coordination, and other groups seeking to halt the investigation as a violation of their First Amendment rights. The prosecutors' allegations are based on extensive testimony and findings from the parties involved.

In one unsealed email from Walker to Karl Rove, chief political strategist to former President George W. Bush and founder of the well-funded independent groups American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, the governor described Johnson's alleged role in coordinating Republican efforts in the recall elections.

"Bottom line: R.J. helps keep in place a team that is wildly successful in Wisconsin," Walker wrote to Rove. "We are running 9 recall elections and it will be like running 9 Congressional markets in every market in the state (and Twin Cities.)"

Johnson sent Walker a document saying that the Wisconsin Club for Growth's activities in the recall elections were overseen by "operative R.J. Johnson and Deborah Jordahl, who coordinated spending through 12 different groups. Most spending by other groups were directly funded by grants from the Club."

According to an affidavit, Johnson stated, "We own [Club for Growth]."


Other affidavits referenced in the documents allege that Walker aides Mary Stitt and Kelly Rindfleisch were involved in raising money for both the recall campaigns and the Wisconsin Club for Growth. A fundraising consultant, Kate Doner, also coordinated fundraising for the Walker campaign and the Wisconsin Club for Growth, according to the documents.

Walker's chief of staff, Keith Gilkes, is alleged to have been involved in conversations regarding coordination with independent groups in both the 2011 Senate recall elections and Walker's 2012 recall campaign.

Prosecutors also contend that the Walker campaign and the independent groups "tacitly" admitted to the allegations by arguing that the coordination was not illegal because the groups were engaged in issue advocacy, not electoral activity.

The documents portray the Wisconsin Club for Growth as the coordinated campaign's hub of operations, spending money on ads and acting as a "dark money" bank to dole out undisclosed funds to other groups to do the bidding of the Walker camp.

Formerly a small player in Wisconsin, the group pulled in more than $20 million from 2011 through 2012. It then distributed that money to other groups to push messages in the Senate and gubernatorial recall elections and key judicial races.

Citizens for a Strong America received $6.64 million -- all of its funds -- from the Wisconsin Club for Growth during this period, according to Internal Revenue Service forms obtained through CitizenAudit.org and Guidestar. The group then passed that money on to other groups active in the allegedly coordinated campaign. Wisconsin Family Action received $1.2 million, Wisconsin Right to Life received nearly $400,000, United Sportsmen of Wisconsin received $245,000, and Safari Club International got $77,908.

All of this money had to come from somewhere, but since the groups are registered as 501(c)(4) nonprofits, they are not required to disclose their donors. A search of IRS documents, however, reveals that the original donations to the Wisconsin Club for Growth came from a number of major Wisconsin business groups and conservative nonprofits.

In 2011, the Wisconsin Club for Growth raised $1.06 million from the Wisconsin Homeowners Alliance, $988,000 from the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Issues Mobilization Council, $227,000 from the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance and $140,000 from the Building Industry Council. The next year, the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance gave another $100,000 and the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Issues Mobilization Council added $165,000.

The Wisconsin Club for Growth also pulled in $225,000 from the Center to Protect Patient Rights, a dark money group operated by Walker supporters Charles and David Koch, and $400,000 from the conservative Wellspring Committee.

This support came after Walker fought for a budget bill that stripped members of the state's public employee unions of collective bargaining rights. Protests from unions sparked the push for recall elections, and Walker supporters and anti-union business interests fought back.

The John Doe investigation was temporarily halted when U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa ruled that prosecutors had violated the First Amendment rights of the Wisconsin Club for Growth and other groups. Randa held that the groups had simply found a loophole in campaign finance law that they were cleverly exploiting.

 

Oh, there you go again. How many times have you been wrong about Scott Walker?

 

He does draw attention for the wrong reasons.

 

Wrong? Wrong you say? About Walker losing the recall election? Well, it seems like there was a good reason he didn't lose the election. He broke the law! You have to now defend another GOP former potential presidential candidate. What excuses will you use this time. Probably the same old ones.

 

He broke the law? Really? Please post a link to the court case in which he was found guilty; I'd be very interested in reading it. There is a concept in our country's justice system which presumes innocence until proven guilty. I see absolutely no proof that he broke the law.

I'm not defending anyone, as you can plainly see. I just want you to back up your allegation that he broke the law, that's all. Until you can do that, you're just talking out of your ass... again.

 

Yep! The case has been thrown out of both state court and federal court so some democrap is doing nothing more than trying to smear the Governor. I think that ought to qualify as the wrong reason.

I actually wish some Republicans would start filing suits like the democraps except with some evidence. Like border agents being killed, groups being targeted, ambassadors being killed, lies being told to get elected, charges being dropped because it helps your side, etc. et al and so forth.

 

I can't help but wonder where that concept goes when it comes to the Right-wing and Obama. Apparently, Obama should be impeached, run out of office, and incarcerated for any number of crimes according the the Right but has never been convicted of anything for some reason. Hum? Yet another double-standard you losers hang onto.

 

Can you please stay on topic? Hum? Are you going to tell us how Walker supposedly broke the law, or not?

 

So bring up the concept of this country's justice system you brought up is changing the subject? I see.

You tell me which laws Obama broke.

 

Are you going to back up your claim that Walker broke the law? If he did, please post a link. If not, have the courage to admit you're wrong.

Obama? This thread has nothing to do with Obama. Focus, Little Joe... F-O-C-U-S.

 

Well, you have to start somewhere. That sounds like a good beginning.

 

Still waiting......... HELLO? Is anyone home? While I've been waiting for you to show us how Walker broke the law, I've been searching the Internet for any proof of such an accusation. I've searched all the legitimate news sources, but can't find a thing. However, I didn't search Mother Jones, MSNBC or The Democratic Underground; are those where you're getting your "facts"?

 

Ayers is not a murderer because he was never convicted - because of a investigatory mistake. That is what you have written here previously. Yet Walker "broke the law" even though his case has been thrown out of the courts. Yep! Liberal logic.

 

Not just "liberal" logic, but "JoeNation" logic which is even deeper into the Twilight Zone.

COME ON, JOE! HOW DID WALKER "BREAK THE LAW"????????????????

 

So now Bill Ayers is the topic?

 

Sure I'll play the game where you "act" dumb and I spoon feed you the answers plainly written in the OP.

"Prosecutors contend in the documents that Walker had direct knowledge that his top deputies R.J. Johnson and Deborah Jordahl were involved in the alleged illegal coordination between the Walker campaign and 12 conservative groups."

Sure it says alleged in the article as not to prejudice any potential jury but prosecutors aren't using the word alleged in their indictment as much as they use the word "contend" to charge Walker as being guilty.

 

"Charge Walker as guilty"? Is that some new aspect of jurisprudence of which I'm unaware? "Charge Walker as guilty" is one of the dumbest things you've ever said and you've said some real doozies before!

"Charge Walker as guilty"? Hoo boy! I've heard it all now!

It's the flimsiest argument I believe you could possibly have come up with. You said Walker broke the law. There is absolutely no evidence that's been presented in court that proves that Walker broke the law. Until a person is proven guilty, he is not guilty. Do you understand that concept?

 

Well you don't charge people with being innocent now do you? There I made it "being guilty". Happy now. I guess they could charge him with being innocent but he'd probably plead guilty to that.