Who was the reporter outside Cindy Archer’s house? [Wisconsin blockbuster raids story]

Wisconsin Watch Dog ^ | M.D. Kittle |Wisconsin Watchdog

[Cincinatus' Wife]

MADISON, Wis. – Of all of the frightening accounts of government abuses in Wisconsin’s political John Doe investigation, David French’s description in National Review of the early-morning raid on Cindy Archer’s home may be the most stunning.

But there are two nearly forgettable lines in French’s retelling of the raid that reveal volumes about the secret investigations aimed at bringing down Wisconsin’s conservative activist community.

Archer, French writes, “looked outside and saw a person who appeared to be a reporter. Someone had tipped him off.”

Supporters of the Democrat-launched political John Doe probes into conservatives have argued secrecy is key to its success, denouncing any leaks that undermine the prosecutors’ case. But Archer’s suspicion that a reporter was present was apparently right – and indicates that secrecy is a tactic rather than a principle: a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article published on the day of the raid, Sept. 14, 2011, indicates that a Journal Sentinel reporter arrived in time to see “about a dozen law enforcement officers, including FBI agents” raid Archer’s home. At the same time, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and his assistants were digging up what they could on the Milwaukee County Executive’s office. Walker, a Republican, led the county office for several years before being elected Wisconsin’s governor in November 2010. The DA, a Democrat, used information gathered in that probe to launch his investigation into what became a multi-county investigation into 29 conservative groups and Walker’s campaign. Chisholm’s office worked alongside the state Government Accountability Board, John Doe special prosecutor Francis Schmitz and a very willing John Doe Judge appointed at the direction of Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson to go after the conservatives and their constitutionally protected donor lists.

And the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had a front-row seat when the “law enforcement action” went down.

“Around 9 a.m., a reporter saw four FBI agents – two of them wearing latex gloves – talking in Archer’s backyard before going into her house. Later, one removed a large box and put it in the trunk of an FBI car. They left about 10 a.m,” the Journal Sentinel story reported.

“The FBI also seized the hard drive from a computer that a neighbor had bought from Archer six to eight weeks ago at a garage sale.”

Archer, like several other subjects of the probe who have spoken to Wisconsin Watchdog and National Review, has never been charged with any wrongdoing.

“I’m not worried,” Archer told the Wisconsin State Journal following the raid. “I don’t even have a lawyer. I don’t need a lawyer. I did nothing inappropriate.” But the Journal Sentinel’s story from 2011 remains a part of the public record.

“Sources have said the investigation has increasingly focused on the activities of Archer and Tom Nardelli, Walker’s former county chief of staff,” the newspaper reported.

Nardelli, who died last year, was never charged with any wrongdoing. In fact, it was Nardelli who, representing Walker, brought to Chisholm’s office a problem: a discrepancy in a Milwaukee County veterans fund. Walker’s concern that the fund had been ripped-off became the initial reason for the secret probe. But from that point, Chisholm’s prosecutors operated on a grander theory: that this opening providing them with an excuse to investigate relationships between Walker and Wisconsin’s conservatives.

Local and national media seized on the red meat of a possible Walker-related “illegal scheme.” Selective leaks from the prosecutors drove the drumbeat of stories.

Daniel Bice, the Journal Sentinel’s investigative columnist who broke several stories in the first John Doe political probe, has vehemently denied that his sources are inside the Milwaukee County DA’s office.

“If I started outing my sources, I wouldn’t have very many sources, would I?” Bice said during an online chat with readers in January 2012. He was responding to this question: “Who is illegally leaking information to you from the secret John Doe probe?”

“I have said in other forums that I don’t know of anyone who broke the law by talking to me for my stories. That remains true.”

But Bice certainly sounded like a soothsayer when asked in the same chat whether there would be more arrests in the probe.

“Yes and soon. But, of course, ‘soon’ is a relative term when you’re talking about a 20-month investigation.”

Bice’s crystal ball – or perhaps his source information – was broken. There were no more arrests in the first secret John Doe investigation that spanned nearly three years.

In the National Review piece, French lays out the myriad civil rights assaults on targets of the secret probes into dozens of conservative organizations, the campaign of Gov. Scott Walker, and his former aides and associates.

In French’s account of the raid on the home of Archer – a top aide to Walker and architect of Act 10, the 2011 law that reformed Wisconsin’s public sector collective bargaining laws – you can feel the panicked heartbeat of fear.

Archer was “jolted awake by yelling, loud pounding at the door, and her dogs’ frantic barking,” French writes.

“She looked outside to see up to a dozen police, yelling to open the door. They were carrying a battering ram. She wasn’t dressed, but she started to run toward the door, her body in full view of the police. Some yelled at her to grab some clothes, others yelled for her to open the door.

French describes a startled woman grabbing her clothes and dressing in front of police as she opened the door.

“I begged and begged, ‘Please don’t shoot my dogs, please don’t shoot my dogs, just don’t shoot my dogs.’ I couldn’t get them to stop barking, and I couldn’t get them outside quick enough. I saw a gun and barking dogs. I was scared and knew this was a bad mix,” Archer told French.

Wisconsin Watchdog, in its continuing investigative series, “Wisconsin’s Secret War,” has chronicled many of the abuses of the subjects, who have asked to remain anonymous due to the probe’s gag order that comes with possible jail time for violators. But Archer’s account is the first time a John Doe subject of the raids has spoken out, simultaneously corroborating Wisconsin Watchdog’s accounts and contradicting the accounts of John Doe prosecutors who have tried to discount the violence of the investigation, even placing quotes around the word “raids” in the government’s court filings.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

At the bottom of this article [lots of links in it] is an expandable list [194 entries] of all the stories this site has been writing and compiling on this.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Rush was talking about this today. This is plain out jack booted thuggery that we can look forward too in many areas when leftists don’t get thier way.
It’s pure un Constitutional but in a day of lawlessness this may become more the norm.
During the 30’s the church sang louder as the trains rolled by to drown out the screams except for the confessing church. Now we may not become that bad...but I sense the gloves come off the left this is the way will act in the now and in the future.
Freegards
LEX

[Cincinatus' Wife]

*ping*

[Cincinatus' Wife]

It was so important that Rush highlighted this.

Here is the original David French article/report. "Wisconsin’s Shame: ‘I Thought It Was a Home Invasion’"

It's been shared 21.2K times since it came out yesterday.

Printable version

[afraidfortherepublic]

More on the John Doe raids. Yes, who WAS the Journal Sentinel reporter who had privy knowledge that this “secret” raid was about to happen?

FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.

[demshateGod]

When Lynch is confirmed, they’ll skip all this nonsense and just order drones to reign down hell fires.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Wisconsin Reporter and Wisconsin Watchdog are wonderful sources, but the National Review wrote the best article of all on John Doe because this is a story that has been hard to understand. So much has been secret, and now we find out that there was noo there there.

FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interst ping list.

[Old Sarge]

This is a folow-up to the previous ping - and a H/T to Cincinatus' Wife.

As I have said in other places and other threads, the Left has reached critical mass. They are now convinced that they can say and do anything - up to and including acts like these - and not only not suffer for them, but be praised for them (any check of Leftist blogs and forums will confirm their deepest fantasies of seeing political opponents physically punished).

This is not an abstract "it could happen here". It's happening now.

For thus has the Lord said unto me:
“Go, set a watchman, Let him declare what he sees.”
Isaiah 21:6

The Watchman Ping List - FReepmail Old Sarge for details!

[Adder]

So when do the lawsuits start?

That prosecutor should be forced to defend his office against multi-million dollar suits alleging all manner of crimes and constitutional violations.

John Doe, my a$$...there must be some redress for these folks.

[henkster]

It has occurred to me that the federal government has actually become something of a feudal state. Each bureaucracy is like it’s own dukedom, answerable to no one and really a sovereign state in its own right. Each one of them has its own “army” of armed federal police.

And there is one thing to keep in mind when dealing with their various “crimes” and prosecutions: Federal prosecution is fundamentally different than state prosecutions. Most state laws are Ten Commandments “right/wrong” based; “Thou shall not kill; thou shall not steal.” Federal prosecution is all sovereignty based: “How dare you object to the authority of the Federal Government to control your life!”

The example of this is the prosecution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVay. The statutory violation was not Murder, or a felony-murder Arson-Murder. No, it was “Destruction of Federal Property Resulting in Death.” The “crime” wasn’t killing people, it was attacking the authority of the Government of the United States.

This is actually important in the context of this story. The FBI raid on Cindy Archer’s home perfectly fits the rationale of the purpose of the FBI as set out in Federal criminal law. That body of law is not there to protect us.

It is there to protect the feudal government that exists solely to rule over our lives.

[GreyFriar]

I saw this reported over the weekend. That report stated that the Wisconsin DA also violated the 4th Amendment and several others of the US Constitution. The article Rush mentioned is at:

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/417155/wisconsins-shame-i-thought-it-was-home-invasion-david-french

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

WE have to tell our friends and acquaintances about this. The enemedia will COVER THIS UP. Even my politically astute Republican friends aren’t aware of this story.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Yeah I found the National Review article. I hope a national dialogue continues...but I have my doubts
Freegards
LEX

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Rush today: How Innocent Scott Walker Supporters Were Persecuted in Wisconsin

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Bkmrk.

[Mr. K]

Hey- I have a question... Why were they raiding her home in the first place?

Is there an allegation of some crime?

Or is it just a government fishing expedition?

[vette6387]

The one thing that’s missing from all these articles is the status of legal action(s) against Chisholm, The judge involved, et.al. There would seem to me to be ample grounds for a Federal Civil Rights Violation lawsuit at the minimum. Also we need to start prosecuting individual LEO’s who participate in these illegal raids knowing full well that these people’s rights are being violated. No more evasion from prosecution because “I was just following orders.”

[Cincinatus' Wife]

"...In fact, it was Nardelli who, representing Walker, brought to Chisholm’s office a problem: a discrepancy in a Milwaukee County veterans fund. Walker’s concern that the fund had been ripped-off became the initial reason for the secret probe. But from that point, Chisholm’s prosecutors operated on a grander theory: that this opening providing them with an excuse to investigate relationships between Walker and Wisconsin’s conservatives..."

It was to go after conservatives - makes Lois Lerner (IRS) look like a saint.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

It's still all in litigation BUT the state [taxpayers] has been having to to pay for the defense of the DA and the prosecutor.

March 4, 2015: "MADISON, Wis. — Taxpayers conservatively have spent north of $775,000 defending the prosecutors of a politically charged John Doe investigation driven on a legal theory that even the prosecutors have rejected.

The state, as of Monday, had paid $368,654.60 for the legal defense of Francis Schmitz, the special prosecutor for the multi-county John Doe probe into dozens of conservative organizations and Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign, according to information obtained by Wisconsin Reporter through an open records request................."

[GreyFriar]

Here is Ed Morrissey’s column in yesterday’s Hot Air where I first saw this story.

http://hotair.com/archives/2015/04/20/i-thought-it-was-a-home-invasion-and-it-was/

4th Amendment to the US Constitution:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.