Brad Schimel: Joel Kleefisch’s “pay to play” style of legislating A-Okay!

In yet another example of Republicans protecting fellow Republicans, Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel – who’s running for Wisconsin Attorney General this year – declined to investigate Republican State Rep. Joel Kleefisch after it was revealed Kleefisch worked closely with millionaire deadbeat dad Michael Eisenga (a contributor to Kleefisch’s campaign) on legislation that would have allowed Eisenga to seek a reduction in his child support payments. According to reports, legislative drafting documents showed Eisenga and his attorney offered line-by-line instructions to Rep. Kleefisch that played a key role in writing the bill.

Is collaboration between a donor and a politician evidence of pay-to-play legislation, or is it politics as usual? 

Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel declined a request earlier this year from the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now to investigate state Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, and his bill to cap the amount of child support that can be imposed on the wealthy.

“If the political contributions are all reported pursuant to law, what law do you believe has been violated? Why can’t a legislator press for legislation that benefits a person who has contributed to their campaign? Isn’t that the essence of representative government?” Schimel, the sole Republican candidate for attorney general, wrote in an email to One Wisconsin Now.

I’m not shocked that Brad Schimel would condone “pay to play” politics by a fellow Republican, because he’s proven time and time that’s he’s more concerned about protecting a fellow Republican than he is about doing the job he was elected to do, and the the Bill Kramer sexual assault situation is another example.

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