In June, Cindy Archer, a member of Gov. Scott Walker’s inner circle during Walker’s time as Milwaukee County Executive, filed a lawsuit against Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm alleging prosecutorial abuses during a search of Archer’s residence in 2011 in connection with the John Doe investigation in Walker and many of his closest advisors. Archer’s suit alleged officers threw a search warrant at her without letting her read it, screamed at her, ransacked her house, blocked her from going outside to smoke, and didn’t inform her of her constitutional rights or tell her she could speak with a lawyer.
However, as a new report by Brendan Fischer of PR Watch notes, Archer’s claims aren’t supported by a recently released audio recording of the search of Archer’s residence.
In April, Archer was the star of a National Review article called “Wisconsin’s Shame” that spoke of “armed pre-dawn raids” and screaming police with battering rams ransacking her home. The article sparked a firestorm across right-wing media (including Fox News) and was even cited by the Wisconsin Supreme Court as “proof” that prosecutors used “paramilitary style raids” in conducting their investigations of Walker, even though the searches were not being challenged and hadn’t been addressed before the court.
In June, Archer announced in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that she was filing a civil rights lawsuit against state prosecutors. She alleged prosecutors had a “personal vendetta” against her for helping to craft Walker’s 2011 anti-union Act 10 legislation. Her lawsuit describes a September 2011 search of her home where she claims officers threw a search warrant at her without letting her read it, screamed at her, ransacked her house, blocked her from going outside to smoke, and didn’t inform her of her constitutional rights or tell her she could speak with a lawyer.
Yet Archer’s allegations about overzealous prosecutorial tactics fall apart in a recording of the 2011 search, filed by prosecutors in response to her lawsuit and made public yesterday.
The search, which was led by experienced FBI agents, was taped by Aaron Weiss, an investigator with the Milwaukee District Attorney’s office. Although the first few minutes of the tape are muffled, the three-hour long recording shows that the interaction between Archer and the agents was quiet and cordial. The tapes reveal Archer, her partner, and the agents joking, chatting about dogs and aquariums, and discussing home repairs and coffee-making techniques.
I’d encourage you all to go read the PR Watch report and then listen to the attached audio clips of the search of Cindy Archer’s residence.
Gee, I don’t see anything about this on Right Wisconsin today. Are the right wing AM talkers going to apologize for getting the facts all wrong on this?
No apologies in print, just louder lying and whining yesterday:
http://watchdog.org/232628/john-doe-cindy-archer-audio/
(disagree with that crowd and see how long it takes for their crew to clone your alias and then ban you from the boards…free speech my a$$, they never saw a fact they couldn’t deny or silence)
More importantly, what is going to happen next as it pertains to further legal action by the District Attorney, by the FBI, by the court???
Or will Ms. Archer withdraw her complaint?
Sure, being awakened in the dark, before dawn, having to answer the door in the nude, having 20 armed cops, guns out, scared of your dog getting shot cause he is barking, beign detained by armed swat cops, your roommate held with out reson for 5 hours while house is ransacked, being instructed that you cannot call atorny or you roomie can call attorney is exageratd. May you never have to get the same treatment. What a bch of lies Bice is telling, but wait the courts will tell us in discovery what happened to all of these people. Her crime, she drew up Act 10. You guys would make great gestapo.
One newspaper reader’s comment pretty well sums up Ms. Archer’s lawsuit as “the gift that keeps on giving.” Also it’s great timing just as Walker begins his presidential campaign; just what he needs: a redo of the John Doe investigation.
In reading the abundant differences between Archer’s account and those on the tape, I am reminded of a line from the movie, “Witness for the Prosecution” uttered by the prosecutor in challenging the veracity of a witness. To conclude his cross examination and expressing his amazement and frustration at the many and obvious conflicting statements, the prosecutor questions in a ever rising loud voice, “….are you not in fact A CHRONIC AND HABITUAL LIAR!”
Art imitating life?
Telling of what? That having just a few actual facts is preferable to having no facts at all, like yourself?
Conveniently you didn’t mention Archer’s claim the warrant was thrown at her and not read to hear, which is directly contradicted by the audio, nor did you mention her claim she was not informed of her rights, when in fact it’s clear from the audio she was read her Miranda rights and acknowledged she understood those rights.
Seriously fella….don’t come at me with cherrypicked information and expect me to put any credibility in what you’re saying. The audio seems far more in tune with the investigators’ account of things vs. Archer’s claims.
Then again, I’m not surprised you’d rush to defend Archer, because you seem incapable of admitting that conservatives can in fact make mistakes.
I would be only too pleased to allow Ms. Archer proceed with her lawsuit, take an loath swearing to her allegation of events before a jury of her peers, and allow justice to take its course.