On Wednesday the American Democracy Legal Fund filed a formal complaint against U.S. Senator Ron Johnson over Johnson’s use of his U.S. Senate website – specifically the blog on that site – to attack Russ Feingold, his opponent in Wisconsin’s 2016 U.S. Senate race.
Here’s more about the ADLF’s complaint.
The American Democracy Legal Fund has filed a complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics against Senator Ron Johnson for violating 31 U.S.C. § 1301(a) and the Senate Internet Policy.
On June 19, 2015, Senator Johnson’s official Senate website posted an article, which was in fact a partisan political attack and response to Senator Russ Feingold. After quoting Senator Feingold as saying that Senator Johnson is “opposed to all government-assisted student loans” the bulk of the article is aimed at rebutting Senator Feingold.
Senator Johnson blatantly used his official Senate website to attack a political opponent in violation of 31 U.S.C. § 1301(a) and the Senate Internet Policy. An article which quotes a political opponent, mentions that opponent by name multiple times, and which accuses that political opponent of having “a hard time being honest about what words mean” cannot reasonably be construed as anything but a partisan political attack and is no way related to Senator Johnson’s official duties or the official duties of the Senate.
At issue is a June 19, 2015 blog post on his official United States Senate website in which Sen. Johnson specifically attacked Russ Feingold. While the blog post has been deleted from Sen. Johnson’s U.S. Senate website, here’s a snippet from the post.
“Had Senator Feingold said that Senator Johnson has consistently pointed out that Washington policy on college assistance has serious negative unintended consequences, then he would have been right. Senator Johnson isn’t the first to say so: The U.S. secretary of education was making the case in the 1980s in the New York Times, for example, that increases in financial aid may enable colleges to raise tuition faster on the understanding that federal subsidies will help cushion the increase.”
If you’d like, you can read a copy of the ADLF’s complaint HERE.
Is this the same group that filed the ethics complaint against Russ for his questionable super PAC expenditures to pay for his apartment and big salaries for himself and his buddies? If so I commend them!
Steve, besides marrying the daughter of a billionaire, what’s Sen. Johnson ever accomplished?
“Ron Johnson’s Real Accomplishment: Marrying the Shrink-Wrap Princess”
http://www.waxingamerica.com/2010/08/ron-johnsons-real-accomplishment-marrying-the-shrinkwrap-princess.html
When he talks about the federal “deficit,” of around $17 trillion, why does Sen. Johnson always leave out the $200 trillion that Wall Street elites used the FDIC to “socialize” onto taxpayers?
“5 U.S. Banks Each Have More Than 40 Trillion Dollars In Exposure To Derivatives”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-09-25/5-us-banks-each-have-more-40-trillion-dollars-exposure-derivatives
He did accomplish the feat of knocking off a sitting senator your buddy Russ.
Sure…..and what has he accomplished since being elected, other than possibly violating Senate ethics rules?
Steven, wrong again. That was his father-in-law’s money, “CEO Ron Johnson paid Sen. Ron Johnson (R-self) $10 million, settling campaign debt. Is it legal?”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/29/989508/-CEO-Ron-Johnson-paid-Sen-Ron-Johnson-R-self-10-million-settling-campaign-debt-Is-it-legal#
That’s all you’ve got Steve? RoJo is a joke both in Wisconsin and Washington but you are right that is his only claim to fame.
Golly, how about chairman of Homeland security and governmental affairs…
Funny that being elected senator and running a successful business means nothing to you people.
I’m fairly certain that he has accomplished more than any contributor to this blog and me included.
He raised three children…
Possibly violated rules! That’s some pretty strong stuff. Wake me up when you’re nominee for president skates on actual crimes against the country! Oh that’s right if Hillary does it it isn’t a crime it is a right wing conspiracy!
Yawn, a lefty democratic group brings an ethics complaint and you shut down the blog with breathless excitement.
Russ embezzling from his own super pac to pay his bills and pay off his family. And Hillary sets up a private server to hide emails, deletes said emails, destroys the server, sends classified emails over said server and she is your presumed nominee for president!
But Ron Johnson is a mastermind criminal! Sounds about right.
Russ uses his super PAC to Pay off his political buddies. Not “family”
By the way, congratulations on avoiding comment moderation for a few days, “Steven.”
Or is it “John Harper” or “Franklin Johnson?”
No one “shut down the blog,” and I’d love to see some evidence to support your claims of criminal activity on the part of Russ Feingold.
Of course you have none, because there is none.
Are you allowed to use monies from your own created super PAC to pay your rent? I suppose if you call your apartment your “office” that makes it ok. Criminal activity, time will tell. Unethical? You betcha!
Bit sure who those people are? Past friends of yours?
Steve, jharp, Franklin,
Since you brought it up, do you want the legislature to impeach four of the state Supreme Court justices?
“’We own C.F.G.,’ said R.J. Johnson, a Walker campaign official and paid staffer at the Club for Growth who was at the center of the case.”
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/the-inside-story-of-the-crony-court-that-deep-sixed-the-scott-walker-probe
Steve, thanks for helping the Feingold campaign, “Sexting-scandal teacher hired for homeland security.”
http://www.wnd.com/2015/01/sexting-scandal-teacher-hired-for-homeland-security/
Steve, jharp, Franklin, aren’t world dairy prices headed south, along with the rest of the commodity deflation? When Iran has 90 million people, most of whom want dairy products, like butter, why is Sen. Johnson opposed to the Iran deal?
Does Sen. Johnson support ISIS? They’re radical Sunni’s and are in a civil war against the Shia, who control Iran.