AG Schimel brings in favored big money special interests before taking office.

Sure, you could call it bad timing, but who cares nowadays when it coming from the party of big money-the Republicans. WPR:

Attorney General-elect Brad Schimel will hold a fundraising celebration in Madison on Monday morning just a few hours before his inauguration… 

Nothing looks bad or out of place when it comes to money, politics and law. The cost of electoral bribes is up, so why not? You’ll notice Schimel is trying to firm up his list of legally favored special interests just before he takes office:

Schimel’s fundraiser will charge $100 a plate for general attendees, with “Host Levels” ranging from $500 to 2,500. A spokesman for Schimel’s campaign said it's a victory celebration that will help pay off campaign debts and fund future campaigns.

Mike McCabe of the watchdog group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said “Political fundraising has become so central to (officials’) lives that they just don't think that it's possible to have any event that isn't linked to their insatiable need for more campaign money,” said McCabe.

But the reporters recap of former AG J.B. Van Hollen's fund raising efforts may actually stun the senses if this is the first time you’re hearing about memberships in his “Attorney General’s Club.” It seems almost funny now:

When Schimel's predecessor J.B. Van Hollen held an inauguration fundraiser in 2006, some critics said it smacked of influence peddling. Donors who contributed $500 or more were offered memberships in an “Attorney General’s Club.” 

It’s just money after all…

… contributors wouldn't get any special treatment from the Department of Justice. 

That goes without saying.

I'll always remember Schimel's campaign for its blatant admission that whatever the legislature does is fine with him. His devotion to party leaders sends a signal to challengers that he will protect the state from those who dare question authority.

GOP Anoints Waukesha County DA Brad Schimel as only Republican AG Candidate.

Taking the choice away from the people, right wing leaders are banking on Schimel, while Democrats opened up the field by offering up 3 choices. 

Are Waukesha DA Schimel's conspiracy theories and Paranoia the right stuff for state Attorney General?

Waukesha DA and Tea Party Attorney General candidate Brad Schimel's head is filled with so many imaginary threats and demons that only he can save the public from their sizable menace.

From our state constitutional right to vote bearing some similarity to opening a post office box (?), to voter fraud:

Schimel: "The folks that are out to defraud the system, will probably continue to get away with it, because we can't have anyway of saying who they were when they voted."

He really did say that. And when WKOW's Greg Neumann asked how many cases of voter fraud he might have run across himself, wouldn't you know it, Republican rich Waukesha isn't the kind of community that would stoop to that kind of cheating:

Schimel: "In Waukesha County, we're not ground zero for voter fraud, we have very high voter turnout. It's tough to steal someones vote when they show up to vote themselves." 

Well I would stop looking then. And taking some strangers word that someone else voted for them, Schimel puts a lot of stock in hearsay:

Schimel: "We've had a number of them where, we've gotten a referral, for something that seems to be fraudulent, but we've been never able to track down who the person was."

Nuemann never let Schimel off the hook for his outright conspiracy theories and paranoia. This guy wants to be our next attorney general, holy crap:

Van Hollen Blames Victim of DA Ken Kratz for not Following Up!!!

Democratic AG candidate Scott Hassett has apparently been watching the Ken Kratz story closely enough to notice how current AG J.B. Van Hollen has been dealing with the potentially damaging abuse case he put off for 11 months. In his own press release, Hassett labels the debacle:
Van Hollen Launches Statewide “Blame Victims First” Tour.

Incumbent Attorney General JB Va Hollen launched a statewide media offensive this week in which he repeatedly blamed a domestic abuse victim for his lack of action in the Ken Kratz ‘sexting’ scandal. Van Hollen made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions as to why he took no action when police first notified him of Kratz’s predatory behavior nearly a
year ago.

Hold onto your seats, you won’t believe Van Hollen’s unquestioned statements to the press:

“The other aspect of this, that I think people need to remember, is the repeat victim in this case is somebody who could have come forward any time and said ‘Office of Lawyer Regulation didn’t do anything…so at some juncture, I would like to believe that she would have come forward or someone related to her would have come forward. She was certainly advised of various levels of recourse, things that could be done, what was going on, continually kept in the loop, had points of contact with our office that she could access at any time, and provided written materials on a number of occasions laying out what various options she had.” Appleton Post-Crescent, 9.21.10

“In this case, where Ken Kratz had revictimized this one victim, we were providing her services with advice and counsel all along, in this case, and keeping her posted as to what was going on. We had informed her that this case had been turned over to the Office of Lawyer Regulation. I was equally surprised that we hadn’t been informed by her that they had chosen to do nothing. Obviously if we had learned of that, we would have taken action at the time.” WXOW La Crosse TV-19, 9.21.10

If Van Hollen had provided advice and counseling all along, then why didn’t he know the OLR decision or take action? According to Democratic AG candidate Scott Hassett:

"JB Van Hollen is blaming the victim for his own inaction and it’s inexcusable. At a time when he should have been a champion for the victim, Van Hollen instead chose to point the finger at her in an attempt to cover up his involvement in the Kratz ‘sexting’ scandal.”

Update Sept. 26:

The Wisconsin Department of Justice closed its investigation into Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz's sexually charged text messages to a crime victim without interviewing Kratz, according to records of the investigation made public Friday.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Woman says DA harassed her as she sought pardon (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Wisconsin DA's Sexting Conduct may end up at the door of J.B. Van Hollen.

"GMA" interviewed Gov. Jim Doyle .... “who is looking into the case of the "sexting" state prosecutor – a man who admitted to sending more than 30 text messages in three days to a victim of domestic violence whose case he was working on.”

This is an appalling case that has everyone in the state scratching their heads. What is it about Republican office holders who don’t feel shamed enough to leave office on their own, insist they’re innocent, and act outraged that so many people overreacted to the allegations. Now that 2 other victims have stepped forward, something Kratz could have easily predicted, he’s taken a leave of absence.

The fallout might go further up. For nearly a year Kratz's friend and colleague Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen did nothing. The Capital Times wrote this editorial:

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen should welcome and cooperate fully with an independent investigation of charges that he attempted to protect a political ally who stands accused of gross misconduct. To do otherwise would invite suspicion that Van Hollen engaged in activities that would merit his removal as attorney general … Van Hollen is a longtime political ally of Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz, who sent 30 text messages soliciting a sexual relationship with a domestic abuse victim whose case he was handling in his official capacity.

Van Hollen learned of the concerns regarding Kratz more than 11 months ago. Yet he did not refer the case to Gov. Jim Doyle, who has the authority to remove district attorneys ... Nor did Van Hollen take a lead in addressing the serious issues raised by the Kratz case, issues that go to the integrity of law enforcement in Wisconsin. Van Hollen has been linked to one of the most serious scandals involving a public official in recent Wisconsin history … an independent investigation is needed.

Here's the GMA video:

Related articles by Zemanta

• Third Woman Accuses Wisconsin DA of 'Sexting' Harassment (abcnews.go.com)
• Ken Kratz: Medical Leave (freedomeden.blogspot.com)
• The 'Sexting' Prosecutor, Ken 'I Am the Prize' Kratz:Does He See Dead People (On a Date)? (abovethelaw.com)
• Wis. DA Denies Asking Woman on Date to an Autopsy (abcnews.go.com)