A minor case of embezzlement in Wisconsin for a little over $11,000 has turned into a political witch-hunt. The Democratic District Attorney has been trying to go after Governor Scott Walker on dubious assertions that Walker has broken campaign finance laws.
The “investigation” was so bogus that a federal judge put a halt to it:
A federal judge in Milwaukee recently halted the district attorney’s investigation, finding that the conduct of Gov. Walker’s political allies is actually legal. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Randa found that the investigation is contrary to both Wisconsin law and the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
So of course, the DA is appealing. All the while, it is costing Walker and Republicans a lot of money in legal fees and also preventing them from running a more effective campaign against Mary Burke.
It actually gets worse. It appears that not only was this “investigation” politically motivated, but personal as well:
Now a longtime Chisholm subordinate reveals for the first time in this article that the district attorney may have had personal motivations for his investigation. Chisholm told him and others that Chisholm’s wife, Colleen, a teacher’s union shop steward at St. Francis high school, a public school near Milwaukee, had been repeatedly moved to tears by Walker’s anti-union policies in 2011, according to the former staff prosecutor in Chisholm’s office. Chisholm said in the presence of the former prosecutor that his wife “frequently cried when discussing the topic of the union disbanding and the effect it would have on the people involved … She took it personally.”
Citing fear of retaliation, the former prosecutor declined to be identified and has not previously talked to reporters.
Chisholm added, according to that prosecutor, that “he felt that it was his personal duty to stop Walker from treating people like this.”
Over in Texas, Governor Rick Perry has been indicted for what is clearly political purposes. Governors and Presidents routinely use their executive authority to to make veto threats.
For some Democrats in Texas, that amounted to Governor Perry engaging in “coercion” and “abuse of power.” This case is not about justice. It’s about making any run for the Presidency in 2016 that much more difficult. From Politico:
But the case injects great uncertainty into Perry’s national plans: The legal process could drag on for months, possibly stretching into next year, according to legal experts, who say there are many opportunities for both sides to appeal decisions along the way.
If the case continues deep into 2016 election season, some Republicans who rushed to Perry’s side — including fellow potential 2016 contenders like Bobby Jindal, Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz — could make a different calculation, said Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas.
“The clock is ultimately the enemy here,” Henson said. “Should he wind up having to go to trial, having a series of court proceedings on this as we’re getting closer or entering the presidential primary season, the situation begins to change, and not for the better for the governor.”
Chances are, Governor Perry will likely prevail and either have the charges dismissed or found not guilty at trial. However, by then, the damage will have already been done.
Democrats are nervous. President Obama has been such a spectacular screw up as President, they are about to lose control of both chambers of Congress. The path to 2016 doesn’t bode too well with Hillary Clinton stumbling and Joe Biden being….Joe Biden.
Rick Perry and Scott Walker are two governors in a deep field of GOP Presidential contenders for the 2016 nomination. Earlier this year, another 2016 contender, Chris Christie was the focus of a politically motivated Democrat witch-hunt, when they tried to turn lane closures into something resembling the Manson murders.
Bob McDonnell doesn’t come off as the most sympathetic of people, but it could be argued that the federal corruption case against him was politically motivated. What McDonnell did under Virginia state law, was perfectly legal. The federal government couldn’t even establish Jonnie Williams directly benefited from the gifts and loans he provided the McConnell’s. However, the law under which he was prosecuted is so broad and the opinion of politicians these days so low, it’s not surprising they were able to obtain a guilty verdict.
The bottom line is, the law is supposed to be a shield, not a sword.
The public interest is not being served in any of these instances. Only one interest is being served and that is the political fortunes of the Democrat party.