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John Doe investigators say there are more tapes of raids
Wisconsin Watchdog ^ | 8-21-15 | M. D. Kittle

Posted on 08/20/2015 11:29:59 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic

MADISON, Wis. – They illegally seized the property of their political targets in an unconstitutional investigation.

Now two top investigators in Wisconsin’s political John Doe probe are asking the state Supreme Court to hold on to that property so they can use it to defend themselves against civil rights lawsuits.

David Budde and Robert Stelter, investigators with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office, want to intervene in John Doe special prosecutor Francis Schmitz’s appeal. Schmitz is asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling last month that shut down the investigation.

As part of that ruling, the court ordered that evidence illegally seized be returned to the multiple targets of the secret probe and that copies of all materials – including millions of documents – be destroyed.

Although they appear to have no standing to intervene, Budde and Stelter beg the court to stay its order because the “materials are essential” to their defense of a pending civil-rights lawsuit and “litigation that has been threatened by individuals associated with the investigations,” according to court documents reviewed by Wisconsin Watchdog.

“Mr. Budde and Mr. Stelter have no recourse but to seek intervention,” the investigators’ attorney, Douglas S. Knott, insists in the petition.

They want the volumes of information seized in the probe to “refute allegations of their wrongdoing.”

In the filing, Budde and Stelter appear to reveal for the first time that there are audio recordings of the October 2013 coordinated raids on the homes and offices of the investigation’s conservative targets. They assert the materials are critical to rebut “false allegations” about their conduct in a probe that went after dozens of conservative groups and the campaign of Gov. Scott Walker on roundly rejected allegations of illegal coordination.

Some of the conservative targets want to know whether the investigators rolled tape on their raid of the home of R.J. Johnson, a political consultant who has worked with Walker.

Stelter was at Johnson’s house at the time of the predawn, paramilitary-style raid. Johnson was not, but his 16-year-old son was – alone.

Law enforcement wouldn’t let the teen contact his parents, or even call his grandparents, who live a half mile away, according to sources. They wouldn’t let him call a lawyer. He had to remain in the house in the presence of deputies as investigators rooted through his family’s possessions.

Does Stelter think such audio will defend him from allegations of investigative overreach? The investigator could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

Did the John Doe investigators roll tape of the raid on the home of Deborah Jordahl, Johnson’s business partner? If they did, they did so without Jordahl’s consent or knowledge.

This is how Jordahl described the predawn raid to Wisconsin Watchdog:

Armed law enforcement officers, led by Milwaukee County District Attorney investigator Anna Linden, proceeded to root through the home. They hauled out computers, smartphones, paper records and an array of “evidence” that had nothing to do with the investigation, private possessions that weren’t listed on the sweeping warrants.

Through it all, Jordahl, her husband, and her teenage children were confined to the home’s family room, guarded by Dane County Deputy Sheriff Linda Kohlmeyer.

“At one point early on, I started to get up from the sofa,” Jordahl told Wisconsin Watchdog. “I told the deputy who was guarding us that I wanted to call my lawyer. She backed me down on the sofa and told me I could not call anyone.”

“I felt completely helpless in my own home.”

Jordahl has said that law enforcement never read her her rights.

Budde was present at the raid on Johnson’s and Jordahl’s Madison office. The targets never received a copy of the warrant, nor did they receive inventory of what law enforcement seized. Is there a recording of that secret search?

Budde, too, could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

Stelter, Budde, their boss, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, as well as assistant DAs Bruce Landgraf and David Robles, are defendants in a civil rights lawsuit filed in July by Cindy Archer. The former Walker aide claims the John Doe prosecutors and investigators grossly violated her constitutional rights, that they harassed and intimidated her through interrogations and an abusive raid on her Madison home – all in retaliation for her political beliefs.

RELATED: John Doe prosecutors’ tape of raid raises questions about missing moments

Archer is among several aides and allies of the Republican governor targeted in an investigation launched in 2010 by Chisholm, a Democrat.

Chisholm expanded that probe in August 2012 into what would become a multi-county investigation into Walker’s campaign and 29 conservative organizations on allegations of illegal coordination under the state’s campaign finance laws.

In January 2014, the presiding John Doe judge tossed out the prosecutors’ subpoenas of the second, broader phase of the probe, because they failed to show probable cause that a crime had been committed. The state Supreme Court, in a 4-2 ruling, agreed and described the investigation as a “perfect storm of wrongs.”

John Doe investigators earlier this month received permission from original John Doe Judge Neal Nettesheim to release court records and audio from the September 2011 raid on Archer’s home. They assert the three hour- plus audio recording contradicts Archer’s complaints of an abusive raid in which investigators failed to read the warrant to her. While the audio does include an investigator reading the warrant, it appears to be missing the first moments of the raid, what Archer contends was the most traumatic part.

Other John Doe targets wonder whether audio of other raids will be selectively edited in an attempt to protect the prosecutors.

“Sued in their personal capacities and facing allegations of significant professional misconduct, they have a tremendous amount to lose if the evidence is destroyed,” the investigators’ petition before the Supreme Court asserts.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: 2010; 201109; 201208; 2016election; chisholm; election2016; johndoe; lawsuit; property; scottwalker; walker; wisconsin; wupremecourt

INTERVENTION: John Doe investigators seek to intervene to stop the state Supreme Court from carrying out its order requiring illegally seized property from the secret investigation be returned to its owners and copies of documents destroyed. The investigators say they need those records – including audio of their raids – to defend themselves from lawsuits.

1 posted on 08/20/2015 11:30:00 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic; onyx; Hunton Peck; Diana in Wisconsin; P from Sheb; Shady; DonkeyBonker; ...

Just when you think that these prosecutors couldn’t get any more outrageous! Now they are preventing the court ordered return of property seized in their illegal raids.

FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.


2 posted on 08/20/2015 11:33:25 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Just trying to delay when they go to prison.

I look forward when they are behind bars.

What they did under the guise of law is repellent to everything this country stands for.


3 posted on 08/20/2015 11:55:38 PM PDT by DB
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Even compared to most liberals, the ones behind these “John Doe” investigations are shockingly evil.


4 posted on 08/21/2015 1:49:01 AM PDT by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
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To: Pontiac

For later


5 posted on 08/21/2015 2:18:56 AM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

“Preventing the court ordered return of property seized in their illegal raids” is one thing, willfully destroying evidence of a civil rights violation under color of law or authority is another. These people need to rot in jail for a long time.


6 posted on 08/21/2015 2:46:46 AM PDT by Rodamala
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To: Pollster1

“Even compared to most liberals, the ones behind these “John Doe” investigations are shockingly evil.”

No they are not.

They are exactly the same as the rest of the liberal/radical left regardless of what country they are in.

Given the opportunity they would do what leftist in every other country has done when they get absolute power.

“Cleanse” the entire country of anyone opposing their views.

Time to get the notion out of your head cleansing of political opposition could never happen here because the left in this country are different than other countries or there is only a few of the left that would do it.


7 posted on 08/21/2015 4:53:55 AM PDT by IMR 4350
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To: afraidfortherepublic

I didn’t know that these ghouls could use illegally obtained info to defend their illegal actions.

They egregiously violated others constitutional rights and now adamantly assert constitutional rights for themselves. A special place in hell is reserved for these devils.


8 posted on 08/21/2015 5:34:02 AM PDT by grumpygresh (We don't have Democrats and Republicans, we have the Faustian uni-party)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

putta putta....to freakin bad for Fran Schmitz. He should’ve thought about not delivering that mean old search warrant to Deb Jordahl before he took things from her office.


9 posted on 08/21/2015 6:44:18 AM PDT by irish guard
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To: IMR 4350

Couldn’t have said that better myself.

The only reason why these raids were exceptionally “evil” is because the John Doe laws allow the Progressive thugs to do things they’d like to do elsewhere, but aren’t allowed to.


10 posted on 08/21/2015 6:51:21 AM PDT by tanknetter
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To: tanknetter

When Bill Ayers and co. talked about the need to exterminate an additional 25 million after a race war which had been won by the left, they weren’t kidding.

The latest DoJ report that the big threat to the country is from “right wing extremist” targeting muslims which, just by coincidence I’m sure wink! wink!, came out right after the attempted mass murder in Texas of “right wing extremist” by muslims.

Someone had to come up with the idea for that report months before the attempted mass murder in Texas by muslims which the “right wing extremist” were supposed to be retaliating against.


11 posted on 08/21/2015 7:12:08 AM PDT by IMR 4350
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