Tuesday, August 1, 2006

Ethically-Challenged Doyle and Lautenschlager

This is getting ridiculous.

Lightning is striking many more times than twice.

What are the odds that so many donations to Jim Doyle's war chest were made when contracts or favors were being awarded to donors?

You ask, "What about that impenetrable firewall?"

The supposed firewall is nothing but a smokescreen.


WisPolitics has information on yet another connection between Doyle, a donation, and a delivery of state business.


WisPolitics: DOJ Says Ethics Board Taking Over Doyle Review
7/31/2006

By JR Ross
WisPolitics Editor

The state Ethics Board is reviewing a $10,000 donation a Philadelphia lawyer made to the governor on the same day that he met with then-DOA Secretary Mark Marotta, a spokesman for the attorney general said today.

DOJ spokesman Mike Bauer said last week the agency had begun a review of that donation and other possible ties between contributions and state contracts. He said today the Ethics Board called Thursday to inquire about the agency's review of the donation because it was looking at it as well. Bauer said DOJ then deferred the matter to the board.

"The Ethics Board is looking into this," Bauer said.

Doyle spokeswoman Melanie Fonder said there was nothing inappropriate about Marotta's meeting with Schiffrin or the donation.

"This was handled perfectly appropriately," she wrote in an e-mail.

Where have I heard that before?

They were all "handled perfectly appropriately."


Sure.

...Bauer disclosed the referral after GOP AG candidate Paul Bucher filed a complaint with the Ethics Board alleging AG Peg Lautenschlager had a conflict of interest for allowing her agency to review the donation despite receiving $5,000 from the attorney's wife.

Philadelphia attorney Richard Schiffrin gave the maximum donation allowed under state law to Doyle on the same day he met with Marotta in his state office.

Schiffrin also met with the State of Wisconsin Investment Board last year on the same day his wife gave $5,000 to Lautenschlager's campaign. He got the meeting after Bauer called the board about Schiffrin's law firm.

Bucher's complaint also alleges Lautenschlager may have broken state law by having Bauer make a referral for possible state business on Schiffrin's behalf considering the donation by his wife.

Bauer has said there was nothing improper about the phone call he made to SWIB inquiring about the proper channels to seek legal work from the board.

Paul Bucher's campaign may be struggling a bit, but he's not letting up on Peg Lautenschlager.

Read Bucher's letter to the Wisconsin State Ethics Board.

We have an ATTORNEY GENERAL who's embroiled in questionable dealings. How can she investigate when she's a player?


Peg Lautenschlager. Too corrupt to be attorney general.


And thanks to Bucher's complaint against Lautenschlager, more questions have surfaced about Doyle's ethics.

If the trend holds, there will be more to come.


Jim Doyle. Too corrupt to be governor.

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