How the State of Wisconsin alleges Scott Walker aides violated the law,in one chart

[Triana]

Newly unsealed legal documents filed by the State of Wisconsin last December allege that key aides to Republican Gov. Scott Walker illegally coordinated campaign money and programs between several different groups. We took the information in the filing and diagrammed the alleged relationship.

At the center of all of the allegations are two aides to Walker: R. J. Johnson and Deborah Jordahl. "For all practical purposes," the document states, the organization Wisconsin Club for Growth (WiCFG) "'was' R. J. Johnson and Deborah Jordahl." It was formed as a 501(c)(4) non-profit, as was a sister organization, Citizens for Strong America. Johnson and Jordahl created CFSA; Johnson's wife was its treasurer.

Johnson and Jordahl also worked as consultants for "Friends of Scott Walker", the campaign committee defending Walker against a 2012 effort to recall him. Wisconsin state law (and most election law) prohibits agents of a campaign from coordinating with outside groups. This is usually an effort to maintain campaign finance laws: If a campaign could send staff to go tell outside groups, who don't have any limits on the size of contributions they can accept, then campaign limits wouldn't serve any purpose.



THE REST: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/06/19/how-the-state-of-wisconsin-alleges-scott-walker-aides-violated-the-law-in-1-chart/

[myrna minx]

1. .

Disgusting and disturbing. I wonder how many MSM with still swoon about this Presidential prospects now?

[Triana]

2. Related...from USAToday

Prosecutors claim Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was at the center of a plan to illegally coordinate fundraising with an array of outside conservative groups to help him and several Republican senators survive a 2012 recall election, newly released records show.

In the documents unsealed Thursday, prosecutors from five Wisconsin counties allege an effort by Walker and top aides to circumvent state law and raise money and plan spending by a dozen outside groups during the election.

The prosecutors' filings include a quote from an e-mail in which Walker tells Republican strategist Karl Rove that a top campaign aide, R.J. Johnson, was leading the coordination effort and praises Johnson's work.

"Bottom line: R.J. helps keep in place a team that is wildly successful in Wisconsin," prosecutors say Walker wrote in the May 4, 2011, e-mail. "We are running nine recall elections and it will be like running nine congressional markets in every market in the state."

Johnson also was a top adviser to Wisconsin Club for Growth, one of the organizations helping to fight the recall. Prosecutors claimed Johnson used the Club has a hub for coordinating political activities of Walker's campaign and other groups, including the Republican Governors Association and Americans for Prosperity, a national group tied to billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch.

THE REST:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/19/scott-walker-prosecutors-criminal-probe/10891057/

[a kennedy]

3. Oh my, this shows it quite nicely.....

thank you for posting this, now I hope he fries for it. Ugh......

[WillyT]

4. K & R !!!

[zentrum]

5. Here's what I don't get

Is this still illegal post Citizen's United? Or was it only illegal back then, before The Robert's Court made it's pro-corruption ruling?

For instance, I've read that what convicted Tom DeLay in Texas, has now been made legal by Citizen's United.

Walker wouldn't have had to bother with any of this hidden funneling if he did this same thing now, after Citizen's---right?

[AllyCat]

6. I think the difference here is that this was INTERNAL

and not just some outside group. I've not gotten as excited as others because this kind of report keeps cropping up but he still sits in our Capitol screwing up our state. But this diagram gives me a little more hope.

[forthemiddle]

9. Don't get to excited yet

These allegations were put forward in the John Doe, but 2 Judges have ruled that based on these documents that Scott Walker did nothing illegal. Basically these charges have already been litigated, and dismissed. So unless the prosecutors appeal, and another court overrules, Scott Walker is NO LONGER under investigation for these charges. These were the accusations only, and they were not proven in a court of law.
Scott Walker wasn't indicted, and as of today this investigation is over.
We can hope for appeal, but according to a State Judge, and a separate Federal Judge there were no laws broken.

In other words, lets say the police charge you with shoplifting, but you fight it, and are declared by the Judge that no law was broken, then all that remains are the allegations. It may ruin your reputation, but you aren't going to jail. That is about the best we can hope for in Walkers case at this time.

[zentrum]

12. Thanks.

Sadly, breaking laws like this and getting off, actually enhances their reputation among Republicans.

[Ikonoklast]

7. It is still illegal for "advocacy " groups to co-ordinate with political campaigns.

They can spend as much money as they want to, but they cannot call themselves one thing but in reality be all part of on political campaign, taking money and direction from them.

[zentrum]

13. Got it. Thanks for clarifying. n/t

[Gidney N Cloyd]

8. That's his excuse: He's not a criminal, he's a visionary!

[packman]

10. Criminal Organizations could learn

from this. Money laundering - which I now understand a bit more clearly - carried out to an art form. Then again, the RNC, is a criminal organization.

I would bet a Bitcoin that every one of those organizations either have a Walker appointee at its leadership or there was some sort of kick-back to even higher placed Walker toadies.

[Blue Owl]

11. Scott will go no more a roving...

BUSTED!

[gollygee]

14. I just got an email about this from a Dem fundraiser

and I'm wondering why we don't have dozens of posts about this, but I guess we're too sad about a jury hide here at DU.

This is huge news in a swing state. I hope this gets some air time on TV news programs.

I strongly suspect similar stuff from the Koch Brothers or some such group in Michigan, based on the very similar anti-Gary Peters ads I get from supposedly different groups. They're almost identical.