Scott Walker is falling apart: The little corruption problem he just can’t shake (Salon)

Well, Walker has a little corruption problem that he just can’t seem to shake. In brief, the governor is being investigated by prosecutors for illegally coordinating with conservative groups, an investigation that sprang from an earlier one investigating Walker’s previous tenure as Milwaukee Country executive. Three of Walker’s close aides were indicted on felony embezzlement charges and charges were brought against a major campaign donor along with one of his appointees. But it’s the newer investigation that’s giving the Walker people heartburn:

The John Doe probe began in August of 2012 and is examining possible “illegal campaign coordination between (name redacted), a campaign committee, and certain special interest groups,” according to an unsealed filing in the case. Sources told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the redacted committee is the Walker campaign, Friends of Scott Walker. Campaign filings show that Walker spent $86,000 on legal fees in the second half of 2013.

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In a letter sent Wednesday, the Washington, D.C., attorney representing the Wisconsin Club for Growth and one of its directors questioned whether a special prosecutor in the case is negotiating with the GOP governor’s campaign to seek concessions that the club might oppose.

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And the team leaders are hopping mad. Here’s the Wall Street Journal’s reaction to the news:

Walker might think he can help himself with a settlement, but he’d be letting down his allies if he did so in a way that lets the bogus theory of illegal coordination survive. Wisconsin has an especially pernicious regulatory machine that targets political speech, and the legal backlash to the John Doe probe offers a rare chance to dismantle it. Mr. Walker is a hero to many for his fight against public unions, but he will tarnish that image if he sells out the cause for some short-term re-election reassurance.


Biting the hand that feeds you Scotty?