Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker defended himself Friday against recently unsealed allegations that he led what prosecutors called a “criminal scheme” to coordinate fundraising and campaign spending with independent conservatives groups during state recall elections 2011 and 2012.
Walker, a Republican, pointed to the decisions of two judges who have ruled on a lawsuit asking for the secret “John Doe” investigation to be dismissed as proof that he has done nothing wrong. “The Facts of the case are pretty clear,” Walker said on “Fox & Friends.” “Both of them have looked at this information and have said you don’t have a case here.”
Walker, who is facing a tough re-election challenge from Democrat Mary Burke, said the revelations in the documents are “not new news,” and that the two judges who ruled to halt the secret investigation have “resolved” the case. The investigation has been stopped by a federal judge, and an appeal of the most recent decision to halt it is being considered by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The Wisconsin Club for Growth filed a lawsuit in February arguing that the investigation violated the group’s First Amendment rights by discouraging protected speech.
No charges have been filed in this John Doe investigation. A prior John Doe investigation into Walker’s 2010 gubernatorial run resulted in six criminal convictions.
“The documents were opened, but no charges, case over,” Walker said.
Prosecutors in the investigation, which began in 2012, allege that Walker and two top aides coordinated with conservative interest groups to raise and spend money in support of Republicans running in the nine 2011 recall elections for the State Senate and in Walker’s 2012 recall campaign. Outside groups spent some $75 million in those races.
The documents, which were unsealed Thursday, include a 2011 email from Walker to Republican strategist Karl Rove. In it, Walker tells Rove of one of the governor’s aide’s importance to coordinating “a team that is wildly successful in Wisconsin. We are running 9 recall elections and it will be like running 9 Congressional markets in every market in the state (and Twin Cities).”
Walker also suggested Friday that the investigation is getting attention because he is being targeted for his work curbing union rights in the state of Wisconsin. His 2011 proposal to sharply cut public sector union rights inspired massive protests and led to the recall elections. “They’re looking for ways to come at us,” Walker said. “They’ll continue to do it. They did it two years ago in the recall election. They’re going to do it again now.”
Conservatives and Walker supporters have seized on that talking point as a cornerstone of the defense against the allegations.
Opinion on the first John Doe investigation was highly partisan when a Marqette University poll asked voters in 2012 what they thought. Three-quarters of Republicans thought the investigation was political, while 73% of Democrats called it serious, and Independents split 48-44.
Charles Franklin, who runs the Marquette poll, told the Wisconsin State Journal he plans to ask about the second John Doe investigation in July. He also said he expects the results to be similarly divided.









