Wisconsin Probe Targets Conservative Donors

Political Realities WordPress Blog ^ | 11/23/13 | LD Jackson

[LD Jackson]

Conservative donors in America, be wary. Remember how the IRS targeted conservative groups asking for tax exempt status? They did so by requiring information from these groups that was not pertinent to the status they requested. Specifically, they asked for a list of who was donating money to the organization. The groups were not required by law to submit such information, but that didn't keep the IRS from asking. The media attention over this scandal has died down, but make no mistake. Liberals are continuing their attacks on the conservative donor base, this time from the state of Wisconsin.

Honestly, I am surprised this story is garnering so little attention. That is possibly due to the fact that it is not on the national level. Being so makes it no less important or troubling. We are learning that a special prosecutor in Wisconsin is going after the groups that helped defend Governor Scott Walker when he was recalled by the voters of Wisconsin. Keep in mind that Governor Walker won the recall election that was a direct result of his fight with the unions.

The Wall Street Journal - In recent weeks, special prosecutor Francis Schmitz has hit dozens of conservative groups with subpoenas demanding documents related to the 2011 and 2012 campaigns to recall Governor Walker and state legislative leaders.

Copies of two subpoenas we've seen demand "all memoranda, email . . . correspondence, and communications" both internally and between the subpoena target and some 29 conservative groups, including Wisconsin and national nonprofits, political vendors and party committees. The groups include the League of American Voters, Wisconsin Family Action, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Americans for Prosperity—Wisconsin, American Crossroads, the Republican Governors Association, Friends of Scott Walker and the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

One subpoena also demands "all records of income received, including fundraising information and the identity of persons contributing to the corporation." In other words, tell us who your donors are.

The list of groups targeted by this probe is a Who's Who of conservative groups that are politically active. It's hard to imagine what reason this special prosecutor could have for going after these groups, unless it is to stifle their ability to speak out on political issues. They are being targeted with a vengeance, in ways that seem to be designed to make them look as guilty as possible. Here is more information. Be sure to read the entire story from The Wall Street Journal. It has a lot of information that I can not include in this post.

The probe began in the office of Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf, though no one will publicly claim credit for appointing Mr. Schmitz, the special prosecutor. The investigation is taking place under Wisconsin's John Doe law, which bars a subpoena's targets from disclosing its contents to anyone but his attorneys. John Doe probes work much like a grand jury, allowing prosecutors to issue subpoenas and conduct searches, while the gag orders leave the targets facing the resources of the state with no way to publicly defend themselves.

That makes it hard to confirm any details. But one target who did confirm receiving a subpoena is Eric O'Keefe, who realizes the personal risk but wants the public to know what is going on. Mr. O'Keefe is director of the Wisconsin Club for Growth, which advocates lower taxes, limited government and other conservative priorities. He has worked in political and policy circles for three decades, including stints as national director of the Libertarian Party in 1980 and a director of the Cato Institute, and he helped to found the Center for Competitive Politics, which focuses on protecting political speech.

Mr. O'Keefe says he received his subpoena in early October. He adds that at least three of the targets had their homes raided at dawn, with law-enforcement officers turning over belongings to seize computers and files.

Clearly, this is a move by the liberals residing in Wisconsin to shut down their political opposition. I never cease to be amazed at their audacity. They claim they want fairness in the arena of political speech, but what they are really after is complete control over the political speech that is in the arena of public consumption. They want to know who was donating to these conservative groups, as if the donors are criminals. This is a classic liberal tactic. They are willing to do whatever they have to do to keep their political opposition silent. False accusations, innuendos, outright lies, nothing is off-limits. It doesn't matter if the accusations are true. If one splinter of doubt can be placed, or one conservative donor frightened into silence, the liberals will have accomplished their mission.

Remember, Governor Scott Walker has already faced his demons. He was elected by the people of Wisconsin and went about the task of enacting reforms. He lowered taxes, faced down the unions and their Democratic friends in the state legislature, and was proven to be correct when the state's budget problems began to dissolve. Incidentally, this all took place without raising taxes. For his troubles, Governor Walker had to defend himself in a recall election. He won that election by a slightly larger margin than when he was first elected in 2010. A majority of people in Wisconsin must agree with the reforms he has put into place. Otherwise, he would have lost.

That doesn't mean the liberals are giving up. No one in the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office is willing to admit they appointed Francis Schmitz, but someone had to do it. They want a list of people who donated to the conservative groups in question, but they are not willing to admit who started Mr. Schmitz on his political witch hunt. It is also worthy to note the point about the probe is being conducted under the John Doe law. The conservative groups who have been targeted are barred from speaking publicly about the investigation. Another clear attempt to silence political speech that dares to oppose the liberal agenda.

[LD Jackson]

There may not be a lot he can do, since the liberals conducting the probe are doing it under the John Doe law. He may be restricted from talking about it because of the legal ramifications.

[The Duke]

I don’t know what Walker is doing about it, but I know what I’m doing about it. This story will only accelerate the shift of my focus more to international business, because apparently that’s where the action is going to be in the future.

[SamuraiScot]

He may be restricted from talking about it because of the legal ramifications.

This is a war, waged on Americans by people who are lawless. Walker should talk about it anyway. Everyone subpoenaed should as well, and talk to every blog and newspaper that will listen—and of course they should hide their data and refuse to comply with the illegal subpoenas. The information obtained from the subpoenas is being requested so that it can be leaked.

Let the Communists try to arrest them all—as Walker calls out the National Guard, with tanks, to defend the free speech of his supporters. Doesn't Walker have the state legislature behind him?

And I'm guessing that the very special prosecutor has potential legal or regulatory problems himself that could suddenly arise. Just about everyone does. . .

[Conspiracy Guy]

I’ve been asking the same thing. So far the answers received from Walker fans include the following;

[Dr. Sivana]

I’ve been asking the same thing. So far the answers received from Walker fans include the following;

I have recently moved to Wisconsin, and I am certainly a Walker fan.

This is the second John Doe investigation that he was subjected to. The last one turned out to be embarrassing for the left, as they had nothing. They threw EVERYTHING they had on him in the recall race, and the crazies in Madison probably hurt the effort to recall Walker.

The lefties would take any counter-attack by Walker to be an attempt to cheat the system.

Walker doesn't do a lot of chest-thumping (recent book tour notwithstanding), and his method has worked in Wisconsin. He doesn't make a lot of noise. He just balances budgets, reduces structural debt, lowers taxes, makes mining possible, gets voter fraud laws passed, and cut the knees out from under the corrupt public labor unions. I come from Illinois and Connecticut, and I like what I see here.

[Conspiracy Guy]

I like Walker. For you having lived in Con and Ill, Wisconsin is a breath of fresh air. Walker has done a lot for the state. I just don’t understand how nothing is being done to repeal this John Doe law that seems to be a very Gestapo like law. I live in Alabama and we have problems we’re working on fixing. But this John Doe law would not survive here.

[Jack Hammer]

“Wisconsin Probe Openly and Blatantly Persecutes Republicans-Walker Silent.”

Fixed it.