Saturday, March 10, 2012

Walkergate: The Legal Cooperation Fund

Ever since Scott Walker announced that he has retained two high profile attorneys to help his cooperation with the ongoing Walkergate investigation, one of the most repeated questions is who's paying for them?

There was little doubt that a good chunk of the more than $12 million would be going to these two, but he couldn't pay them from the campaign.

In what is becoming an almost weekly tradition for Walker, he pulled another late Friday afternoon news bomb to state that he was creating a legal cooperation fund.  But wouldn't you know, that darn liberal media goes and keeps calling it a legal defense fund.  As if Walker did anything wrong, right?

As one of my friends quipped, "$2,000 an hour buys some premium cooperation."

But is it really cooperation?  Did I really need to ask that?

Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel consulted with a couple of experts, including, Michael Maistelman, on what it means:

But election lawyers said the governor's move appeared a tacit acknowledgment that Walker is under investigation for violations of state election law. 
"If you create a legal defense fund, you are either being investigated, being charged with or have been convicted of a criminal violation of Chapter 11 or Chapter 12," said George Dunst, a retired state election lawyer. 
"The only way you can set that up is if you are under investigation or being prosecuted," said Michael Maistelman, an election lawyer who is representing former Walker aide Tim Russell in the John Doe investigation. "One can only draw the conclusion that either one of those two things is happening."
But Ciara Matthews states otherwise:

But Walker spokeswoman Ciara Matthews said late Friday that the fund was set up "under the guidance of the GAB." 
"We reiterate that Gov. Walker has been told that he is not a target of this investigation," Matthews said.
Please note that she didn't say who told him this.  My guess it was her doing the talking.  Then again, if you take her word at face value, she just accused Walker of illegally setting up the legal cooperation fund.  If he's not a being investigated or charged, he can't set up the fund.  See?! I told you she was going to be the perfect fit for Walker's campaign! She is as bumbling as he is.

And since the right is so into digging into people's lives and exposing everything they can, I'll return the favor.  Here is the preliminary paperwork for Walker's filing of the legal cooperation fund.

But I must caution the reader to be patient.  It will be a while before we get to see Walker do the perp walk.  Methinks there are some other people that will be going down before Walker does.

But just to keep you from being too disappointed, I thought I'd share this picture of the future with you:


I think his bracelets are quite becoming, don't you?


12 comments:

  1. you trashed the VTR people for photoshopping a sign? Seems its an eye for an eye.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How is that promoting suppression of an entire race's vote?

      Delete
  2. Medic alert, Weasel down! Weasel going down and he won't be able to get back up. Low down, lying, dog face, perp. An abomination.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please. Don't insult dogs by association.

      Delete
  3. from linkedin
    Kate Lind's Experience
    Owner
    Aspect Consulting, LLC
    December 2008 – Present (3 years 4 months)
    Campaign Finance Compliance Consulting
    Controller
    Republican Party of Wisconsin
    Nonprofit; 1-10 employees; Political Organization industry
    August 2006 – December 2008 (2 years 5 months)
    Deputy Director
    Committee to Elect a Republican Senate
    March 2006 – August 2006 (6 months)

    Kate Lind's Education
    University of Wisconsin Law School
    J.D., Law
    2003 – 2006
    University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
    B.A., Political Science
    1998 – 2002

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a start to the weekend, Walker sets up a legal defense fund and Rob Wilson knocks down 30 points. Big rally today and the exhibition of banned art. Give me brat and a beer and I'll be in heaven. On second thought, make it two of each.

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  5. Getting a quote from Tim Russell's criminal defense lawyer, Priceless!

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  6. "We reiterate that Gov. Walker has been told that he is not a target of this investigation," Matthews said."

    Not that you'd expect the truth, but maybe he's not the ultimate target of the investigation. Maybe this goes higher considering the Vos-Priebus connection. Maybe the taint goes all the way up the RNC chain.

    It wouldn't surpise me.

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  7. Walker either IS or ISN'T a target of investigation.

    If he IS a target, then his denial is a public lie to the people of Wisconsin; nothing new in light of his PolitiFact score, 28 falses out of 42 statements.

    If he ISN'T a target, then his establishing a legal defense fund breaks the law, exposing him to penalties more severe than telling a public lie. I suggest this is a risk he is less likely to take.

    It follows that more probably he IS a target of investigation.

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  8. @Raven, I agree. My thought was just that he may be one of several targets.

    Either way, as you said, given LDF law, he is a target. I stopped believing anything he says a long, long time ago. Way before he became governor.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I saw a sign at the Capitol on Saturday; I forget the exact wording but something to the effect of "Do YOU have a Legal Defense Fund? Yeah, me neither"

    ReplyDelete