Posted on 04/26/2015 4:36:19 PM PDT by markomalley
If a prosecutor wants to assure the public he’s not out of control, perhaps he shouldn’t suggest that critics could be prosecuted. On Saturday, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker commented on Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm’s use of armed, pre-dawned raids against conservative targets of his extraordinarily expansive “John Doe” investigations:
“I said even if you’re a liberal Democrat, you should look at (the raids) and be frightened to think that if the government can do that against people of one political persuasion, they can do it against anybody, and more often than not we need protection against the government itself,” Walker told the radio station.
“As [National Review] pointed out, there were real questions about the constitutionality of much of what they did, but it was really about people trying to intimidate people…” Walker said.
“They were looking for just about anything. As I pointed out at the time, it was largely a political witch hunt.”
As public criticism goes, this statement is mild — especially when the criticized conduct included officers swarming into homes, taunting, yelling, denying access to lawyers, barging into sleeping kids’ rooms, threatening to batter down doors, and then demanding silence from the victims. And keep in mind that not one of the women who came forward to describe these raids has ever been charged with any crimes (#WarOnWomen?) In fact, Walker’s critique is milder even than Heather Digby Parton’s at the very left Salon. She called the raids “intimidation, pure and simple.”
But Walker’s comment was apparently too much for Chisholm, who broke his own (official) silence about the John Doe investigations with this remarkable statement:
“As to defamatory remarks, I strongly suspect the Iowa criminal code, like Wisconsin’s, has provisions for intentionally making false statements intended to harm the reputation of others,” Chisholm said in a statement Saturday responding to Walker’s comments.
Francis Schmitz — a “self-described” Republican who acted as a special prosecutor in the second John Doe investigation said this:
“His description of the investigation as a ‘political witch hunt’ is offensive when he knows that the investigation was authorized by a bipartisan group of judges and is directed by a Republican special prosecutor appointed at the request of a bipartisan group of district attorneys,” Schmitz’s statement said.
He called Walker’s comments inaccurate but didn’t detail why.
“I invite the governor to join me in seeking judicial approval to lawfully release information now under seal which would be responsive to the allegations that have been made,” his statement said. “Such information, when lawfully released, will show that these recent allegations are patently false.” (Emphasis added.)
Considering it was the prosecution that launched years-long secret investigations and then placed gag orders — on pain of criminal punishment — on the targets, Schmitz’s call to “release information” is almost comical. Chisholm’s response, however, is especially revealing. The excesses of the John Doe investigations raise concerns that Wisconsin prosecutors are trying to criminalize political speech, and in response the lead prosecutor . . . threatens to criminalize political speech. As my friend Ken White at Popehat tweeted:
Exactly so. Yet if Chisholm thinks threats can deter future comment or further investigation of his actions and motivations, he’s sadly mistaken.
Chisolm
What’s with these fascist LIB asshats? This guy should self-commit to the nearest mental ward.
No different from no knock warrants by SWAT teams because some drug user got popped and “narc’d” on some innocent home owner.
Cops and DAs are out of control and need to be reigned in. Otherwise, throw the constitution away and raise the Nazi flag above the state houses.
Wisconsin’s version of Obama, VJ, Lois Lerner, & the IRS. IOW, a police state. The DA, special prosecutor, and their henchmen belong in prison doing long stretches.
Did he read any of those books in the background?
This photo needs to go viral - if it accurately portrays the correct guy)
Do you suppose this DA has the chutzpah to SWAT the Governoer’s Mansion? It is the governor’s remarks that the DA claims are actionable.
They won’t be reined in. This is the country now. Hugo showed the way.
Evil, mean spirited ginger.
This is fascism and it happens when people forget why, or how, there comes to be a right and wrong that is beyond what they just dream up themselves.
It takes more than people alone to rein in evil.
It always has, it always will.
You vill not oppose us. Nein!
Reincarnated
Along with his home address.
Chisholm kind of resembles John Roberts.
a dickweed....
John Chisholm is a smelly little animal.
This is remarkable.
I can’t remember when a municipal DA makes threats and insinuations against an emergent Presidential front runner.
If he had anything like actionable information out of his armed fishing expeditions, he would have been able to indict two years ago.
Instead he has innuendo.
The guy should be forcibly removed from his position for misconduct. Criminal misconduct.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
