The Iceberg’s Tip: Scott Walker and the New John Doe Emails

What follows is the first of a series of guest blogs by Graeme Zielinski, who will be reporting on the latest developments in the Milwaukee County John Doe investigation of Scott Walker.

The Iceberg’s Tip: Scott Walker and the New John Doe Emails

After this week, there can be NO DOUBT that Scott Walker knew of an illegal political conspiracy in his midst, at his behest and for his benefit, following the June 2010 collapse of a county parking garage that killed a boy.

As the nation’s executives gather in Milwaukee for the National Governors Association meeting, kicking off Thursday, Scott Walker is facing embarrassing new revelations following the release of hundreds of pages of new documents from the John Doe criminal probe, from which he has, for now, escaped prosecution.

A Republican reserve judge has helped Walker’s public relations campaign with a secrecy order that, for now, prohibits the release of documents related to the ranging probe, which concluded earlier this year and resulted in the conviction of several top members of Scott Walker’s political inner circle.

This week, another judge permitted the release of documents related only to the 2010 incident – yet tens of thousands of other documents remain under lock and seal.

Still, the tiny release this week released a floodgate of information about Scott Walker’s central role to the John Doe conspiracy and the illegal way he ran Milwaukee County.

As the first Wisconsin governor in modern times to face criminal prosecution and to raise a criminal defense fund, Walker has engaged in one of the most successful political coverups Wisconsin has seen. When he’s not avoiding questions altogether in the John Doe crimes, he is twisting the questions to his benefit.

Asked about this week’s revelation, and the fact that he was central to the political coverup that occurred in the wake of the collapse of O’Donnell Park, Walker slithered away from the question, claiming that it was outside groups that had forced him to react so politically.

In fact, the emails show that from the outset, there was an entirely unified political chain of command, where outside consultants and campaign staff were directly involved in decisions affecting the public good after a 13-ton slab of concrete fell and killed a 15-year-old boy in the opening hours of Summerfest in 2010.

The emails confirm the most cynical suspicions about Scott Walker, namely that he cared more about his political fortunes – and the hot breath of his rival Mark Neumann – in those early hours, rather than any actual loss of life.

The days and weeks after the tragedy were another dark stain on Walker’s public record, as he and his aides directed a POLITICAL response to an event that involved the safety of the citizens of Milwaukee County, their tax dollars and, most tragically, the life of a teen boy.

The emails are merely the tip of the iceberg of a treasure trove of information related to the John Doe that Scott Walker is trying to conceal as he ramps up his run for president.

It is unclear how far Journal Communications will run the ball down the court-and they’re the only in-state news organizations who can do so-to force the release of the documents.

But the national press are starting to sniff around, even as Walker continues to cower from the sunshine. Tough shit: The release of the ENTIRE record, essential for the public’s expectation of clean government, might be forthcoming.

For now, I’ll be exploring the emails in their context and maybe even breaking some news. Stay tuned.