Oh, goody! Just in time to get lost in the weekend news cycle FitzWalkerKochStan Governor Scott Walker has broken his silence about the year and a half long John Doe Probe that has led to its third set of charges yesterday.
Gov. Scott Walker said Friday that he did not think the ongoing John Doe probe was targeting him.
He added: "I think it's very clear when all of this is done, no matter how much time it takes, and again my campaign has been involved with cooperating with them for more than a year, I have every confidence that when this is completed, people will see that our integrity remains intact."
Surprise!
After a railroad executive pleabargained his way into the largest fine ever (to avoid jail time) for funnelling large campaign donations to Walker through his employees to avoid the donation limit, 3 people (including a top aide to Walker) were arrested and charged with embezzling $60,000 from a veterans group (Walker didn't want the veterans group to continue to manage the fund they had been handling for years and insisted it be placed in a fund undr his control) along with child enticement, and 2 top aides were arrested for using taxpayer funded time, equipment, and resources for campaign and fundraising purposes right under his nose in the Milwaukee County Executives office including the establishment of a private email network to avoid open records rules, all Walker can do is that? On a Friday afternoon? When he knows the media is already in their weekend coma?
What was happening in his office with the fundraising and campaigning on the taxpayer dime was the same thing that happened in our State Legislature in the late 1990s when both Democratic and Republican leaders lost their jobs, reputations, and suffered the consequences of violating the law. The same law violations that Kelly Rindfleisch, one of the people charged yesterday was given immunity for (in exchange for information and testimony) back in the 1990s, but apparantly got up to again this time in Walkers own office. Guess who was also in the State Legislature at that time? Yup. Scott Walker.
So now he's pretending that he's all clueless and stuff about what was going on in his own office when his top aides, many of whom have been granted immunity and plea bargains are singing like birds to the authorities. As Ann Richards would say, "that dog don't hunt." The "I'm not a target" might play well with the base, but he can't sell it elsewhere. Why else give immunity deals to top staffers? To go after some lowly underling? I don't think so.
By the way, Governor, you might be losing some of your base. I was at the car dealership today getting my vehicle serviced and one of the top executives came to the customer lounge, looked at the headline in the Journal Sentinal about your top aides being charged yesterday and said "He's gonna win anyway".
Really, I responded?
Blank stare.
"I don't think so", I said.
The exec in the nice business suit reminded me that Walker gave back part of his salary when he was County Exec.
"When you're rich, you can afford to", I replied.
I was dressed rather well and had on a nice coat, so, to him, I must have looked like a Republican older woman rather than a kick-ass protester and activist, so he was rather surprised.
"He kept his promises", was his response.
"Really? All those jobs he promised. Because I remember he promised jobs and so did Senator Johnson. That was what they were going to do if we voted them in. Jobs. Not union busting, not tossing grandma out of her nursing home with Medicaid cuts, not taking farmers and poor people off Badger Care. Jobs."
He looked dejected and replied "Yeah, you're right". He talked a lot about jobs.
I reminded him our state has been losing jobs for the last 6 months in a row. "We're Number One in losing jobs now."
He looked even more sad. I think reality hit as he stood in the Customer Service lounge containing only 1 customer in a dealership that had no customers buying or even looking at cars. The bad economy, peel back of wages for public employees, and job losses hit these businesses hard. People are buying necessities, paying bills and praying their cars hold together until things improve.
I think Walker lost that guy (and I'm glad I helped). Don't worry, he'll still have the violent, drooling knuckledraggers who will believe Walker telling them that he's not a target of the John Doe Probe.
Lousy reponse, Snotty, to the 3rd series of charges involving people close to you. The best you can hope for is that people don't laugh too hard.
Video Update: Ed Schultz has been like a dog with meat on this one:
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