For several weeks now Tea [...]]]> The Racine County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a case of signature fraud in the drive to recall GOP  Senator Van Wangaard. The fraudulent signatures were submitted by a man, Mark Demet, who may have ties to the Racine County Tea Party and the Racine County chapter of Citizens for Responsible Government

For several weeks now Tea Squawkers around the state have been hollering at the top of their lungs about signature fraud within the various recall efforts statewide. What a prescient bunch, indeed! How did they know in advance that fraud would be discovered? Hmmmmm.

Here’s hoping Demet is charged and that any other suspicious signatures discovered throughout the process are investigated as well.

In this case, Scott Walker’s hypocrisy stems from statements he made in 2006 after Georgia Thompson, a mid-level state employee appointed by then-Republican Gov. Scott McCallum, was [...]]]> Over at Uppity Wisconsin, xoff has done a great job of pointing out the hypocrisy of Scott Walker (as if there was any doubt he’s a hypocrite).

In this case, Scott Walker’s hypocrisy stems from statements he made in 2006 after Georgia Thompson, a mid-level state employee appointed by then-Republican Gov. Scott McCallum, was indicted on trumped-up federal charges. Thompson was later convicted of the charges, though in April 2007 a federal court of appeals overturned Thompson’s conviction, calling the evidence against her “beyond thin” and ordering her release from custody that same day.

The timing of Thompson’s indictment and conviction were certainly convenient, given that then-Gov. Doyle was facing a tough reelection fight, and predictably Republicans followed Thompson’s indictment with a barrage of press releases and ads attacking Gov. Doyle and his administration for corruption. Despite the best efforts of Republicans to smear him, Gov. Doyle won reelection.

So here’s where Scott Walker fits into this story. At the time, Walker was still Milwaukee County Executive, and he was also seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and when news of Thompson’s indictment broke, Walker was quick to attack Gov. Doyle as corrupt, stating he “condones unethical and illegal behavior.”

From WisPolitics.com:

Statement from Milwaukee County Executive and Candidate for Governor Scott Walker on the Indictment of one of Jim Doyle’s Top Aides in the Department of Administration:

“The indictment handed down today shows how corruption can infiltrate all areas of government.

Unfortunately we have a Governor and administration that condones unethical and illegal behavior. The people of Wisconsin deserve better.”

“Today’s indictment provides further confirmation that the Doyle administration is damaged and must be removed from the Capitol. Jim Doyle’s political connections to this aide are, without question, mentioned as a defining piece of the evidence used to bring forth this indictment.” …

“Governor Doyle needs to purge his administration of individuals who place politics and special
interests ahead of the people of Wisconsin….

“Little can be said to underscore the seriousness of this charge. I am hopeful that the people of Wisconsin will allow me the opportunity to clean up Madison with the same fervor that guided my reform movement in Milwaukee County.”

Clearly Scott Walker didn’t pull any punches in his attack on Gov. Jim Doyle, but I can’t help but wonder if Scott Walker circa 2012 will hold himself to the standard Scott Walker circa 2006 demanded of then-Gov. Doyle.

Will Scott Walker demand the resignation of those members of his administration that were complicit in the commission of crimes? After all, it’s a stretch to think that Cullen Werwie and Brett Davis, both of whom currently work in Walker’s administration, had no knowledge of the criminal activities committed by Kelly Rindfleisch on behalf of Davis’ Lt. Governor campaign during the time she was serving as Walker’s Deputy Chief of Staff in the Milwaukee County Executive’s office.

If Scott Walker were to actually hold himself to the standard he expected of a Democratic governor, he’d ask for – no, demand – the resignations of Brett Davis and Cullen Werwie, and he’d resign the governorship.

Now on to the story: JSonline delved into more detail regarding the republicans redistricting process. and the [...]]]> If you take away anything from this next story, as egregious as it is, remember that line. That should be the mantel that the democrats use to prop up their republican counterparts in the upcoming election.

Now on to the story: JSonline delved into more detail regarding the republicans redistricting process. and the one word to describe this process: WOW!

First off, republicans had to SIGN Secrecy agreements:

Other newly released documents also show almost all Republican lawmakers signed legal agreements promising not to discuss the new maps while they were being developed…The agreement tells each lawmaker “you agree not to disclose the fact and/or contents of such discussions or any draft documents within your possession.”

All the agreements were also signed by Eric McLeod of Michael Best & Friedrich, one of several attorneys who advised lawmakers on the maps. Legislative leaders have committed $400,000 in taxpayer money to pay Michael Best and the Troupis Law Office for their work on the maps.

Quick aside: If the name Eric McLeod sounds familiar, he is the lawyer who bought Michael Gableman.

The republicans (specifically Adam Foltz, a legislative aide to Jeff Fitzgerald who helped draft the maps), where this gem was written.

“Public comments on this map may be different than what you hear in this room. Ignore the public comments,” the talking points also say.

Why whatever does that mean? Adam Foltz is no help, he had no idea he wrote them. Luckily we have people like attorney Peter Earle who tells us

it was clear from the case’s record that GOP lawmakers were being told to ignore what their leaders were saying publicly and to focus on what they said in private.

translation: the republicans will be lying in public but working on it behind the scenes. Do not believe anything they say.

This case was started in court in December when Mr. Foltz testified that the new maps were not meant to increase the GOP majority.

Foltz said those who developed the maps used election data from 2000 to 2010 in helping decide where to draw the lines. Yet the goal of the maps was not to increase the GOP’s advantage in elections, he testified.

Not sure Adam rally wants to perjure himself at such a young age to protect the Fitzgerald family. You are too young to start your career like this, Ask Tim Russell what trying to cover up for your boss gets you. Hopefully there is still time for Mr. Foltz to correct his story. Since we now know he is not telling the truth:

The new batch of records also includes memos from Foltz to Republican lawmakers telling them how GOP candidates performed in their districts under the new and old maps. In a deposition in December, Foltz testified the new maps were not meant to increase the GOP majority in the Legislature.

Of the 58 Republicans in the state Assembly at the time, 33 would pick up additional Republican voters. For instance, the district for freshman Rep. Mike Endsley (R-Sheboygan) would go from marginally to solidly Republican.

Those Republican representatives experiencing a drop in the number of Republican voters in their district under the redistricting plan would still have a strong Republican majority of voters. For instance, the district represented by Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) would still be about 60% Republican despite losing a share of its GOP bases under the redistricting plan.

Legal secrecy agreements, eric mcleod, Michael Best & Freidrich, only republicans allowed, new maps where it was broken down by republicans in the district, none of that was done politically? Yes if you believe that you will believe that Scott walker is voluntarily meeting with DA Chisholm.

As for Attorney Earle, here he is testifying at the joint public hearing on redistricting.

Really?  You hired these guys?

Michael J. Steinle

Michael Steinle focuses his practice in the area of criminal [...]]]> Wow… Walker has hired two new lawyers to… let me get this straight… “assemble additional background information, I hired counsel to insure that I am in the best position possible to continue aiding the inquiry.”

Really?  You hired these guys?

Michael J. Steinle

Michael Steinle focuses his practice in the area of criminal law.  His criminal defense practice includes representation of individuals charged with a broad range of serious criminal offenses.  He has experience with a multitude of criminal defense matters which extend to complex, multi-defendant Federal and State prosecutions, including, but not limited to; drug cases, homicide, sexual assault and white collar crimes, including individuals and businesses in a wide variety of fields, throughout the State of Wisconsin.

John N. Gallo

is a partner at the firm, and a former federal prosecutor in Chicago. His practice includes conducting internal investigations for institutions, representing criminal defendants and grand-jury targets, and representing parties in complex civil litigation.

I suppose if you expect to be indicted, these are exactly the lawyers you want.  But to help you pull some old files together???  I think not…  Walker and the Wisconsin GOP are neck deep in shit and the tide is coming in.

Prosecutors charged Thomas with two felony counts, one for accepting [...]]]> Boy, attorney Michael Maistelman sure is keeping busy these days…

Milwaukee County Supervisor Johnny L. Thomas – the frontrunner in the race for city comptroller – was charged Thursday with accepting a bribe in exchange for promoting a company for a county contract.

Prosecutors charged Thomas with two felony counts, one for accepting a bribe and the other for misconduct in office. Thomas, 43, is chairman of the board’s Finance and Audit Committee.

I had heard rumors of another John Doe investigation in Milwaukee County that involved Supervisor Thomas, so this news isn’t shocking. However, these allegations sure would seem to put a damper on Thomas’ comptroller campaign, which had garnered the support of much of Milwaukee’s liberal establishment, including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Democratic Rep. Gwen Moore, and Democratic State Sen. Lena Taylor, not to mention Sachin Chheda, the Chair of the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County (who also happened to be Thomas’ campaign manager).

Colorado State Rep Laura Bradford (R- Barley & Hops) [...]]]> Professor Esenberg has been discussed here lately, and while many people laugh at his futile attempts to explain away the wrongdoings of the Walker administration(and pretty much anyone who puts an R after their name) he has now found the perfect law!

Colorado State Rep Laura Bradford (R- Barley & Hops) claimed immunity when stopped for drunk driving recently:

Colorado state Rep. Laura Bradford (R) was pulled over last week in Denver on the suspicion that she was driving under the influence. During the stop, she admitted to drinking and failed a field sobriety test, but cops claim they were unable to arrest her. Under an obscure state law, elected officials making their way between “legislative events” have immunity from prosecution and Bradford was given a cab home..

Bradford told police when she was pulled over at 10:00 pm that she was leaving a legislative event and had to be back at the state capital in the morning, which was reportedly enough to trigger the law — a law of which Bradford now claims to have been unaware. Denver police, however, say that Bradford refused to waive her immunity under the law when asked, since it would have resulted in her being taken into custody for a breath or blood test.

What a brilliant law for the professor….republicans are free from prosecution. We are checking to see if there is any truth to the rumor that Prof. E already has retained a real estate agent in CO.

As soon as the signatures were turned in, the right wing took to their airwave monopoly with their stories of [...]]]> Please you’re giving me a headache. I can not handle anymore right wing crying wolf about “massive fraud”. We recently collected more than 1 million signatures to recall Governor Scott Walker(540,000) were needed.

As soon as the signatures were turned in, the right wing took to their airwave monopoly with their stories of fraud. Everyone on the right has a friend whose brother in laws friend signed the petition 10 times( or some other variation of this urban legend). The hate sqwaukers were all to happy to continue telling these unverified fables.

These next two pics, touted as obvious fraud, come courtesy of wolf on back/ snake on chest herself:

Lets look at this. Is this fraud or a mistake? What probably happened here was Duffy Holloway was probably told to recall both Walker/Kleefisch he had to sign twice. He probably misinterpreted that to mean twice in a row, he made the mistake and crossed it out. On the same sheet, Corrina Williams signed her name and then probably thought she had to put down Scott walkers name as the person she wanted to recall. She did not sign scott walker to the petition. Are either of these fraud? No! Nor were either of these counted by United WI in their final total.

One more example:

Let’s take a logical look at what probably happened here. A group of people stopped to sign the recall petition and all got into a discussion(the petitioners were our friends and neighbors) and passed the clipboard around. One of the people in the group was probably visiting from Ithaca, NY and in the process accidentally signed the petition. Is this fraud? NO! This signature was also not counted in the 1,000,000+ total by United WI but this sheet needed to be turned in since there are 9 legit signatures on it.

Let’s move on to JSonline and their exam in the signatures link.

If you find signatures, names or addresses of people who signed the petitions that are noteworthy, you can submit them to our database in our Data on Demand portal. We will review submissions and post those that we can independently verify.

OOPs..Looks like JSonline is not following their own rules. They are allowing anonymous people to sift through the recall signatures and then comment about the “known fraud” (See urban legend reference above) and we do not know if it is darlene wink commenting, a 12 year old or an actual handwriting expert(although I am amazed how many actual handwriting experts there are in WI(more on this in a bit). Lets take a look at one example:

Recall petitions page 000664: Lines 4 & 5 – Brittney & Brooke Hietpas – same address.

Now lets look at the comments on the JSOnline website(please keep in mind that official policy is We will review submissions and post those that we can independently verify.)

Anonymous handwriting expert from somewhere in this world(no guarantee they are even from WI) and supposedly independently verified complaint:

651 14 4&5 Obvious false names Obviously same handwriting. 1/31/2012

Obviously same handwriting? It could not be that these two people, who are obviously sisters, and probably same age(twins) or very close in age and of the same sex would not have similar handwriting? I guess not since JSonline independently verified this. Unbelievable. PS: Hietpas seems to be a common name in Little Chute, shouldn't be hard to actually verify.

One more example before I wrap this up. This gem from the Racine Journal Times regarding verifying the recall signatures:

Marge Orth, 63, of Caledonia, also had a page filled with notes about flagged petitions. On some of petitions, she could tell the person that filled out the address was not the same as the person who dated the signature.

“The twos, they don’t match,” she said. She doesn’t know if the signatures she flagged will be thrown out, but she said, “You have to question it. We’ll let the lawyers figure it out.”

If 63 yr old Marge Orth can’t tell that “two’s dont match” who can? rest easy walker backers, Marge is on the case.

Ok now let’s get real and wrap this up. There is absolutely NO way that they will be able to throw out enough signatures to stop the recall election. Do you really want to anyway? as if our state is not divided enough as is, try and not have a recall elections after a million signatures and thousands of volunteers and watch it get even worse. Besides Scott Walker said he wanted this election ASAP, don’t you take him at his word?

I truly believe that the Walker campaign and supporters have every right to review the petitions. The Walker campaign has had .pdf versions of these petitions for days now. I think anyone who wants to help should go find a Walker for Gov office and sit and go through them. To put them online in a searchable database is insanity. To allow people from all over the country unfettered access to them is also insanity! To the walker backers that are putting their name in a verify the signatures – What do you think is going to happen with that database? Is it really necessary to use this database to make fun of fellow Wisconsinite’s last name? I would say that most people in Wisconsin whether their name is Smith or Heitpas or Orth are quite proud of their last name and no need to start throwing them out as legit signatures because you do not know someone with that name.

Let’s be clear now the amount of actual fraud will be miniscule, the signatures thrown out will be insignificant. These urban legends of fraud are just being done to create as much noise as possible to cast doubt on the process for people who are not paying 100% attention.

Shame on those that do this, you know better. Please stop, you’re hurting your cause and giving me a headache!

As
reported by Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Russell was hired to work in Scott Walker’s County Executive administration despite having been fired from his state [...]]]> It appears the sordid saga that is Tim Russell’s tenure as one of then-Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s closest aides and confidants isn’t over.

As
reported by Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Russell was hired to work in Scott Walker’s County Executive administration despite having been fired from his state job for “gross misconduct” relating to Russell’s misuse of public money and lying about that misuse. In 1993 Russell was fired from his job with the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) after it was discovered in the spring of 1993 that he had improperly billed $1,123 in hotel stays to the agency. According to Russell’s termination letter, he was fired not only for improperly billing WHEDA for the $1,123 in personal hotel stays, but also because he “provided false or misleading information” to those investigating his improper billing of the hotel stays.

Despite having been fired from his state job for lying and misuse of agency funding, Tim Russell certainly landed on his feet, thanks to Scott Walker.