Posted on 07/25/2015 11:13:38 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Now that the Wisconsin Supreme Court has forcefully terminated the John Doe investigations in Wisconsin, the targets of those probes can now speak openly of their experiences at the hands of politically motivated prosecutors. Some of those experiences began leaking out a few months ago, courtesy of David French and his mainly unnamed victims of the Government Accountability Board’s jeremiad against Scott Walker supporters. The court decision offers a few more description of the nighttime and dawn raids on homes and the prosecutors’ abuse of the rights of those targets, but now with the case at an end, the victims can finally speak openly to what happened.
The WSJ’s Collin Levy interviews Eric O’Keefe, the Wisconsin Club for Growth official who found himself at the center of an attack that he couldn’t have dreamed possible in his state — or in America:
John Doe Judge Neal Nettesheim compelled Mr. Johnson’s attorney to disclose what emails they had reviewed together and told him that attorney-client privilege didn’t apply. “When we sat down for our interview, I was told my attorney couldn’t speak, couldn’t object. I was asked how does my business operate, who are my contacts, how do I make money, what are my percentages, who are my clients? If I didn’t answer I would be in contempt.”
At the end of that conversation, Milwaukee Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgrafasked a question, Mr. Johnson recalls: “ ‘Is there any reason at the end of the campaign you deleted all of your emails?’ So I knew then I had been tracked all the way through, that they had been reading my emails. . . . They knew what they were looking for all along, but I didn’t know anything again until they showed up at my door.”
Once news of the subpoenas was leaked to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a favorite venue for prosecutors, his business was in the cross hairs. While many of his longtime contacts were supportive, Mr. Johnson says, some business calls went unreturned, and he had to pass up an opportunity in another state because he could have been a liability for the clients. “Even if they hadn’t heard about the Doe” investigation, he says, “it would have been unethical for me to bring them in blind. So I had to turn down business on that account.”
At least O’Keefe knew his home had been raided. His business partner tells Levy that prosecutors took business records without notifying either of them, and still have not accounted for what was seized:
His business partner, Deborah Jordahl, says that while her own home was being searched and her children were roused in the dark by law enforcement, prosecutors were searching her office without her knowledge. “Earlier this year I learned . . . David Budde,the lead investigator for Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, was searching our office in Madison. My partner and I were never notified of the search of our office,” Ms. Jordahl says, “and the prosecutors never provided us with a copy of the warrant or an inventory of what was taken.” (Mr. Budde did not respond to a request for comment.)
The raid on O’Keefe’s home took place while his 16-year-old son was home alone. Law enforcement told the minor that he could not call his parents during the raid — or a lawyer:
Mr. Johnson was on a plane when the raids happened, and his 16-year-old son woke up at home to find six law-enforcement agents with guns and a warrant. “He was told he couldn’t move, that he couldn’t call a lawyer, that he couldn’t call his parents. He was a minor and he was isolated by law enforcement,” Mr. Johnson says.
Thanks to David French, the rough outlines of the abuses suffered by politically active conservatives in Wisconsin have already been known, but are still shocking to the conscience. What possible rational reason would a state government have to conduct raids on residences in the middle of the night to seize records, while denying these citizens — and especially a minor — resort to legal counsel and the consultation of his parents? The GAB in Wisconsin, the prosecutors, and the judges involved perpetrated an abuse that one normally sees in banana republics rather than an American community.
Let’s keep telling these stories, and make it clear that we will not tolerate this kind of oppression and abuse of power in the future.
Ed Morrissey of Hot Air reveals more details on the outrageous John Doe violations.
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
This kind of BS is completely outrageous.
What do you expect from jack booted leftists?
fairness?.....justice?
LOL
So, why isn’t Walker looking for ways to retaliate against his rogue prosecutors?
You should be pinging all the bootlickers around here who blindly support anything an LEO does.
But then again...they wouldnt have the balls to post in this thread.
I’d say his best ‘revenge’ would be becoming prez.
The legislature and the courts are handling it. Have you ever heard of separation of powers?
Preferably, following their trial conviction, and sentencing, I would expect a short drop and quick stop.
Walker may do this indirectly. Let the former targets sue the pants off the perpetrators. The Supreme Court opinion by Justice Prosser left little doubt that what Chisholm and his co-conspirators did was so far beyond the scope of their duties and color of law that they can be held individually liable. Also, it appears to be unethical conduct per se, and should result in loss of law license.
Walker stays above the fray and allegations of playing petty revenge politics.
If he was, why would he announce it? Actions speak louder that words, this just happened. He doesn't seem it allow much moss to grow around him.
Every person involved with all of this illegal search and seizure is covered by .. wait for it .. UNIONS ..!!!!
AND GUESS WHO WALKER WENT AFTER .. THE UNIONS. I believe all this nonsense was just PAYBACK to Walker .. but it has backfired very badly on the UNIONS.
I keep telling people .. we NEED TO GET THESE UNIONS OUT OF OUR GOVERNMENT OFFICES .. THEY ARE TEARING THIS COUNTRY APART. And .. who benefits from UNION DUES: DEMOCRATS .. SO THIS TELLS ME THE DEMOCRATS ARE BEHIND ALL OF THIS GARBAGE.
I think the case just settled (or a portion of it), and I think Walker is a little busy with other things at the moment.
If he doesn’t win the nomination, Walker may take them on.
This is precisely the sort of tyranny the second amendment is intended to prevent or address.
Separation of powers is nice. But “piling on” would be even better. I don’t know if the people in question are elected, or appointed, but their expedited suffering would, no doubt, be a good example for all such officials and the people who have to deal with them.
Giving it a stupid cowardly name doesn’t make it legal.
I was sort of hoping someone interpret it as criminal activity under color of law, and jail them.
Not a good idea during a dynamic entry with roided up cops in body armor.
What shocks me is why they all went along qith this obvious dog and pony show.
Thankfully there are now several civil suits going forward and no one was killed during any of these raids.....they didnt even shoot the dogs.....must be slacking.
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