Wisconsin GOP Leaders Knew Using State Troopers Broke the Law

[L. Coyote]

Source: By CREW Staff - March 22, 2011

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and his Republican cohorts in the legislature have some explaining to do. The rookie governor rose to national fame after picking a bare knuckled political fight with Democrats over union rights. He showed up on our radar when he illegally sent in the Wisconsin State Patrol (WSP) to search for the Democratic state senators who had fled to Illinois.

On February 23rd, we submitted open records requests to the Office of the Governor, the Office of Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and the Wisconsin State Patrol (which is headed by Sen. Fitzgerald’s father, Stephen Fitzgerald) asking for any records of communications regarding the decision to send troopers out after the legislators. Their responses were surprising.

Several documents produced by Senator Fitzgerald’s office clearly show his staff was well aware there was no legal authority to dispatch the troopers, and that doing so would have required - at the very least - an amendment to Senate rules. No legislative fix was ever passed, but the troopers were deployed anyway.

Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, which houses the WSP, claims to have no documents about the whole debacle. That seems unlikely. ...

Read more: http://www.citizensforethics.org/blog/entry/wisconsin-GOP-leaders-knew-using-state-troopers-broke-the-law

---

Everyone else knew too, and yet their power was unchecked!
Power will remain unchecked while crime has no consequence.

Deja DU: Gov. Scott Walker needs to resign NOW! Admitting felonies on tape. What a moran!
2-23-11: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x490151

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, L. Coyote.

[myrna minx]

2. K&R n/t

[rurallib]

3. Aren't governors and presidents above the law?

Wasn't that the Nixon Doctrine? ("if the president does it, it is legal.")

[Kingofalldems]

4. Special Prosecutor needed immediately

[glinda]

10. yes

[L. Coyote]

11. The AG co-conspired with Walker to abuse color of law, so that won't happen

unless there is a federal inquiry of some kind. Perhaps a brave District Attorney in Wisconsin has jurisdiction.

[USBlues]

16. Good luck finding one that isnt on the take

Seriously folks...this needs to stop and needs to stop now. Not in 2 years in some meaningless voting exercise that will do nothing to stem this radical corpo-rat takeover of our nation. We know what that does...just shuffles the rats around. The takeover is near complete and if we dont rise up its only gonna get worse. Much much worse.

[socialist_n_TN]

18. Agree. We need to get a WHOLE lot less polite..........

Frankly, it PISSES me off royally to have my rights infringed upon, no matter WHO does the infringing! Welcome to DU USB.

[deacon]

28. + 1,000

[xchrom]

5. Recommend

[howaboutme]

6. Political abuse was perpetuated by Pelosi when she took impeachment off the table

Until we see political leaders actually being held accountable by impeachment or Dept of Justice, this continual abuse of their powers will not change. Serious examples need to be made to reign them in....but that won't happen when the opposition Party refuses to go after them.

[russspeakeasy]

8. How about we start with the banks and get some trickle down?

[Critters2]

23. Delete--wrong place. Sorry! nt

[JJW]

7. Indict

convict, imprison.

[highplainsdem]

9. K&R

[eowyn_of_rohan]

12. Big Kick

They sure do a great job of digging their own holes! Keep it up you SOB's

[bertman]

27. Unfortunately, the holes they dig appear to mostly have dollars or gold at

the bottom.

[Matariki]

13. "Power will remain unchecked while crime has no consequence."

Precisely. There's been far too much of that these days.

[Jackpine Radical]

14. Just wait'll the Attorney General finds out about all this stuff!

Oh, wait--that'd be JB Van Hollen, co-conspirator.

[Lifelong Protester]

15. Keep adding more fuel to the flames, repubs....

Man, talk about drunk with power!

I agree, indict, convict, imprison.

[HughBeaumont]

17. And of course, all they get is away with it.

As usual.

[FiveGoodMen]

19. "Power will remain unchecked while crime has no consequence"

That should be on billboards, in textbooks, replacing the hold music on phones, engraved on every government building...

At the very least, it should be on the minds of every American as they watch this nightmare continue.

We are bleeding out, and we're not even trying to stop the flow.

[Kurovski]

20. K&R. (nt)

[deutsey]

21. "Broke the law"...lol. As if that quaint phrase matters anymore.

The Republic is dead, baby.

Long live the Empire.

[Scuba]

22. Apparently they think obeying the law is for other people. n/t

[Critters2]

24. But when the governor does it, it's NOT illegal! nt

[unkachuck]

25. hey scotty....

....are you breaking the law??....and WDT, are you obstructing justice??

....shame on you scotty....you're a leader in the law-&-order party....you're setting a very bad example.

[ck4829]

26. K&R

[Sherman A1]

29. The law only applies to the other guys if you are a

Republican and in power.

[Hubert Flottz]

30. The "LAW" only applies to poor people and democrats.

The Wealthy and the GOP can do whatever it takes to "WIN" in this "bipartisan" clusterfuck we still call the USA.

[CanonRay]

31. When I was a wee lad, there used to be a penalty for breaking the law

What ever happened to that. What a quaint custom.

[L. Coyote]

32. Wisconsin Statutes: Violation of state statute 946.12 is a Class I felony.

Violation of state statute 946.12 is a Class I felony.

http://law.justia.com/codes/wisconsin/2010/946/946.12.html

946.12
Misconduct in public office. Any public officer or public employee who does any of the following is guilty of a Class I felony:

946.12(1)
(1) Intentionally fails or refuses to perform a known mandatory, nondiscretionary, ministerial duty of the officer's or employee's office or employment within the time or in the manner required by law; or

946.12(2)
(2) In the officer's or employee's capacity as such officer or employee, does an act which the officer or employee knows is in excess of the officer's or employee's lawful authority or which the officer or employee knows the officer or employee is forbidden by law to do in the officer's or employee's official capacity; or

946.12(3)
(3) Whether by act of commission or omission, in the officer's or employee's capacity as such officer or employee exercises a discretionary power in a manner inconsistent with the duties of the officer's or employee's office or employment or the rights of others and with intent to obtain a dishonest advantage for the officer or employee or another; or

946.12(4)
(4) In the officer's or employee's capacity as such officer or employee, makes an entry in an account or record book or return, certificate, report or statement which in a material respect the officer or employee intentionally falsifies; or

946.12(5)
(5) Under color of the officer's or employee's office or employment, intentionally solicits or accepts for the performance of any service or duty anything of value which the officer or employee knows is greater or less than is fixed by law.

http://www.gjs.net/946-12ss.htm

[Snoutport]

34. can just anyone file charges?

who has to file the paperwork?

[L. Coyote]

33. The Wisconsin Curse: Second Indiana Lawyer Loses His Job Over E-mail

The Wisconsin Curse: Second Indiana Lawyer Loses His Job Over E-mail
March 25, 2011 05:25 PM EDT
comments: 2

In what seems to be an inability to keep foot out of mouth, another official in Indiana loses his job because of a digital message. Johnson County deputy prosecutor Carlos F. Lam resigned from his position on March 24, 2011 after admitting to sending an e-mail to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker advising him on a method to discredit labor unions.

As previously reported, former Assistant District Attorney Jeff Cox was fired after suggesting, in a tweet, capitol police in Madison, Wisconsin use live ammunition to clear protesters out of the capitol building. He further went on to continue his diatribe against liberals.

In the case of Mr. Lam, he sent an e-mail instead of a tweet. According to the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, the former prosecutor, in a message sent on February 19, 2011 to the governor said, “... I think that the situation in WI presents a good opportunity for what’s called a “false flag” operation. If you could employ an associate who pretends to be sympathetic to the unions’ cause to physically attack you (or even use a firearm against you), you could discredit the public unions.”

.............. http://politics.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979162706

[sarcasmo]

35. Kick!