Wisconsin Dems File Ethics Complaint Against Gov. Walker

By aaroncynic in News on Mar 8, 2011 7:40PM

The Wisconsin Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint against Governor Scott Walker yesterday, over comments he made during the prank call made by Buffalo Beast editor Ian Murphy.

The complaint was filed with the Government Accountability Board, accusing Walker of violating campaign finance laws when he asked the person he thought was billionaire David Koch for support for Republican legislators. The Tribune reports the complaint says the statements constitute “illegal third-party co-ordination,” an accusation Walker’s spokespeople said was baseless.

In addition, the Badger Herald reports the complaint alleges Walker’s statements violate ethics laws because his idea of “planting troublemakers” among protesters in Madison put the public at risk and he used state facilities in the earlier alleged “illegal third-party coordination.” A spokesperson told the Herald “What he’s doing in Madison has nothing to do with the budget but with raw, political, partisan power. (The phone call) brought the dignity of the governor’s office into disrepute.” Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said so far he’s found nothing about Walker’s comments that merit a criminal investigation.