Walker, John Doe - Democrats' Fraud

Wisconsin Democrats are engaged in fraud, pure and simple.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

It's one thing to send out fundraising letters trying to score cash off the John Doe investigation into various activities during Gov. Scott Walker's tenure as county executive.

That's business as usual for political types.

It's another thing altogether to suggest that individuals can help underwrite the long-running probe of the Republican governor by giving money to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

But that's what is happening at the party's slick website devoted to publicizing the John Doe investigation.

"Help fund the investigation," says a virtual walkerinvestigation.com Post-it Note at the top of the site, walkerinvestigation.com. "Donate today."

Click on the link, and you're taken to another page.

"Contribute now to Investigate Scott Walker," the fundraising page proclaims.

In reality, the donations made through the secure website end up in the state Democratic Party's federal coffers.

Nothing goes to the Milwaukee County prosecutors running the investigation.

Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf, who has overseen the secret criminal probe for the past 22 months, tried immediately to distance his office from the Democratic Party's fundraising effort.

"We were unaware of that website," Landgraf said last week.

"There is absolutely no connection between the website and/or the Democratic Party and this office and any matter that relates to an investigation of the people that are portrayed on the website," Landgraf said. "None whatsoever."

...Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, a Democrat, first launched the investigation in May 2010.

So let's cut to the chase: Don't the Democrat Party's various attempts to cash in on the probe - including this website suggesting contributors will fund the prosecutors' work - make life difficult and awkward for Chisholm and his staff?

"That's obvious," Landgraf said.

But he said he had no plans to ask state Democratic Party leaders to take down the site.

And they weren't rushing to do so.

Graeme Zielinski, a party spokesman, said he's received no complaints about the fundraising mechanism.

Zielinski said the party wasn't intending to suggest the money would go to Chisholm and his staff, sounding a little baffled that prosecutors might be peeved about the website. Zielinski said people were supposed to understand that any donations would be used to help inform the public about the investigation.

"We don't want there to be any ambiguity," Zielinski said Friday. "We'll certainly review what the language says, but we do think it's important that people know about this ongoing criminal corruption probe where Scott Walker is central."

It's very telling that Landgraf said "he had no plans to ask state Democratic Party leaders to take down the site."

What?

WHAT?

Why the hell not???

It's fraud. Words have meaning.

"'Contribute now to Investigate Scott Walker,' the fundraising page proclaims."

That's a completely misleading statement, but Landgraf is cool with that.

Extremely disturbing.

What a disgrace!