Scott Walker Hit Probe of Jobs Agency as "Witchhunt," Warrants Sworn Out and More Coming

Scott Walker hates audits, investigations and probes of government operations for which he is responsible.

In May 2015 Walker—the former chair who resigned/was fired from his own flagship and embattled 'jobs' agency—through a spokesperson blasted Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne's decision to review a recent audit of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to determine whether to open a criminal investigation.

Walker called the probe of WEDC a "political witchunt." (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal) (Mal Contends)

Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said, "This is clearly political gamesmanship by legislative Democrats and others more interested in playing politics than in helping improve economic development in Wisconsin," (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal) (Mal Contends).

Don't look, nothing to see here. This is the tip of the iceberg (Oneida Eye).

Today, Matthew DeFour reports in the Wisconsin State Journal that:

A Green Bay businessman is under criminal investigation for allegedly defrauding the state’s job creation agency of more than $1 million, according to search warrants obtained by the State Journal.

Ron Van Den Heuvel has not been charged with a crime, but he is suspected of committing theft and securities fraud against several parties, including the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., according to six search warrants the Brown County Sheriff’s Office executed at Van Den Heuvel’s home and businesses in De Pere and Ashwaubenon in July.

Even clearer now why our hopelessly corrupt governor didn't want anyone looking too closely at what he does in office.

Walker Flack Confirms UW System-Audit Bureau Link in Forbes Mag. Online

Updated - A Scott Walker spokesperson confirmed yesterday that Walker intends to remove all references to the University of Wisconsin System from the Wisconsin statutes.

It is noted at this site that the Wisconsin legislative Finance Committee's proposed abolishment of the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) also would have the effect of nixing academic freedom guarantees contained in a section of the 1965 statute creating the Legislative Audit Bureau.

Hence, the assertion Walker's objective of destroying academic freedom would explain the bizarre call for the proposed demolishment of the LAB.

This assessment is confirmed yesterday by Scott Walker's spokesperson, Laurel Patrick, in comments made to Forbes Business online in a piece by Steven Salzberg.

Said Ms. Patrick to Forbes in an email: "... the Governor’s original budget proposal removed all references to the UW from state statute in order to allow for the proposed authority to create its own policies. This would allow the UW Board of Regents to address the issue of tenure going forward."

But Walker missed one huge reference in the LAB statute. Surrogates in the Joint Finance Committee took care of the omission.

Abolishing the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) and removing the statute does remove a major reference to the UW from state statute, one that specifically protects academic freedom, and gives previously statutory guarantees to the heavily Scott Walker-appointed and politically vetted UW System Board of Regents and of course politically vetted inspectors general.

Scott Walker's Attacks Are as Perverse as Ideological

Trying to comprehend why Scott Walker is attempting to destroy the UW System is akin to attempting to comprehend the violent criminal mind.

After a heinous violent crime, a healthy person—a victim or somebody reading a piece in the paper—might be wondering: Why did the perp do that, wasn't he afraid someone would get hurt?

Varying experiences of astonishment, shock, trauma and disgust might follow the acts of a criminal with bad intentions.

This what is happening now with Scott Walker and his unrelenting war on the University of Wisconsin System reportedly now becoming mobilized as Summer classes begin next week.

There is no context for most people, no way to empathize that a sitting governor would purposely destroy the pillars of what makes Wisconsin a great state. How do you understand a sociopath? We're not FBI profilers.

Defensive Posture

Make no mistake, the public political posture by the UW System administrators has been defensive and reactive as Wisconsin newspapers and TV 'news' across the state mostly present Walker's attack as a budgetary squabble among politicians, not as diverting a spectacle as Lebron and the NBA Finals.

No one is going to mistake UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca M. Blank and UW System President Ray Cross as the political equivalent of George Patton.

The usual suspects, the literate and politicized across the nation, are of course calling to arms the people of Wisconsin as the menace of Scott Walker and his surrogates in the gerrymandered Legislature toxify a world class center of learning, embedding the seeds of destruction into what historian Paul Buhle called a "verdant intellectual oasis."

This a political fight, its scope and importance, eloquently described by national political journalist, Joshua Marshall, in his follow-up to Marshall's widely noted piece last week:

I'm more interested in the practical effect of what Walker is trying to do than a discussion of tenure in the abstract. Because what Walker is doing is basically like lighting your own house on fire. States can get into financial jams and need to cut spending, either because of budgetary mismanagement or rough economic times. But if you look closely at what Walker is doing there's no real budgetary imperative behind it. It's just a desire to destroy a great public institution for the sake of doing it, driven in part by right-wing ideology and in part by the palpable animus Walker himself holds to people who managed to get an education.

A big part of what is happening here is that, to people like Walker, Madison is an anchor of Wisconsin liberalism. But not just liberalism in the partisan political sense, also scarier things like empirical thinking and new ideas. And it's not just the humanities. What really comes out in this article is how much of the scythe is aimed at the sciences. (emphasis added)

Wisconsin People Are Suckers

Marshall also gently chastises the Wisconsin people for being the suckers they are for electing Scott Walker and his lackeys in the Wisconsin Legislature: "At the end of the day, the people of Wisconsin aren't victims here. They elected Walker and his no less aggressive GOP legislatures. Indeed, they've reelected them, albeit in low turnout off year elections."

That's a fact, Walker never managed to garner much more than one in four of Wisconsin voters.

It's also letting the people off too easy who stayed away from the polls the last four years (especially in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin), mumbling 'they're all crooks.'

The "full-scale political disengagement of a substantial chunk of the American population" persists.(Greenwald, The Intercept)

This applies emphatically to Wisconsin, and this foolish political disengagement is what Scott Walker relies on when he burns down the next pillar of Wisconsin in his efforts to uphold his promises to the billionaires to whom he promised he would "divide and conquer" the Wisconsin people,  caught on video.

Josh Marshall Says Goodbye to One of America’s Great Public Universities

Perhaps time for Scott Walker and Republicans for some critical thinking and reevaluation.

Check out Goodbye, Madison in case you have missed Scott Walker's proposed destroying what took generations to build.

Consider do we want our Summer to begin with this obscenity, followed shortly by Scott Walker announcing for the presidency working to replicate this?

Chancellor Blank may be in tough position watching the University of Wisconsin-Madison become another great public institution destroyed by Walker, but better to go down swinging.

Goodbye, Madison

Author of Abolish-the-Audit Bureau Bill Refuses Comment on Academic Freedom Guarantee

Omnibus Motion 521 regarding the UW System
authored by Sen. Harsdorf and Rep. Schraa

Updated - Following the proposed abolishment of tenure as guaranteed by Wisconsin statute, Republican Party attacks on academic freedom at the University of Wisconsin System continue. (Vanness, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

This morning State Rep. David Craig (R-Big Bend), the author of the bill to abolish the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB), declined to comment through an aide when asked if Craig would offer his assurance his bill would retain the section of the LAB statute guarding academic freedom for the UW System in the operations of the LAB. (Mal Contends)

In a related development, Rep. Craig's office also told a Capital Times reporter that his "proposal to abolish the Legislative Audit Bureau ... didn’t have anything to do with scathing audits of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation," and is simply a good government move to prevent "spending abuses." (Elbow, The Capital Times)

The LAB proposal is directly related to the proposed restructuring of the UW System though the dissolving of the LAB guarantee of academic freedom at the University of Wisconsin System, a freedom codified in several statutes of Wisconsin.

Omnibus Motion 521

The budgetary Omnibus Motion (motion 521) regarding the UW System restructuring is authored by State Senator Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) and State Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh) both of whom are members of the powerful Joint Committee on Finance.

The Joint Committee on Finance's "primary responsibility is to serve as the principal legislative committee charged with the review of all state appropriations and revenues," as described on its webpage.

Reads the Omnibus Motion introduced by Harsdorf and Schraa.: "Suspend current law…requiring the Legislative Audit Bureau to conduct an annual financial audit of the UW System. Instead, require the UW System to contract with an independent accounting firm." (Vinhout, Uppity Wisconsin)

Item 12 of the Hardorf-Schraa-Scott Walker initiative reads in part: "12. Tenure: Approve the Governor's recommendation to delete the definition of a 'tenure appointment' and language establishing the conditions under which the Board of Regents may grant a tenure appointment to a faculty member. Delete current law specifying that a person who has been granted tenure may be dismissed only for just cause and only after due notice and hearing."

University faculty tenure guarantees and limitation are codified in state statute.

Under the GOP-Walker scheme, these guarantees which attract world class researchers and faculty would transfer to the whim of the politicized UW System Board of Regents, most of whom have been vetted and appointed by Scot Walker.

Contract Employees or Tenured Faculty

This raises the question that without statutory protection, without Board of Regents support, how does the UW embed tenure in the appointments of 'tenured' faculty? An employment contract?

Does 'come to the UW System as a contract employee' really seem appealing to lure world-class researchers and faculty?

No, and that's Scott Walker and the GOP's point.

One can only hope public support for the University of Wisconsin System kills the project of Scott Walker and Republicans.

Items 26, 27 of GOP Omnibus Motion 521 regarding the UW System

Audit Bureau Attack Is Sucker Punch to Academic Freedom of UW System

Political Payback in Proposed Audit Bureau Dissolution Is Cover for Assualt on Academic Freedom

Updated - The proposed abolishment of the Legislative Audit Bureau following the Bureau's revelations of incompetence and corruption in Scott Walker's Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), Walker's flagship 'jobs' agency, has another policy objective. (Elbow, The Capital Times)

Abolishing the independent, 50-year-old agency would also nullify a major statutory protection of academic freedom of the University System, and under current GOP policy aims give massive power to the Walker-appointed UW System Regents. (Schneider, The Capital Times)

Reads the relevant section of the 1965 statute creating the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) (13/IV/94/1):

In performing postaudits under this subsection, the legislative audit bureau shall not examine issues related to academic freedom within the University of Wisconsin System. A postaudit shall not examine into or comment upon the content of the various academic programs, including degree requirements, majors, curriculum or courses within the University of Wisconsin System, nor shall any such postaudit examine into the manner in which individual faculty members or groups of faculty members conduct their instructional, research or public service activities. This subsection does not preclude the bureau from reviewing the procedures by which decisions are made and priorities set in the University of Wisconsin System, or the manner in which such decisions and priorities are implemented within the University of Wisconsin System, insofar as such review is not inconsistent with s. 36.09. [UW Board of Regents] (emphasis added)

This embedded statutory protection for the University System and academic freedom in the LAB statute would be eliminated, replaced by the analyses of proposed (and ideologically vetted) inspectors generals who would be free to proactively examine academic programs, courses within the University of Wisconsin System, instructional methods, research and public service activities and then make audits that could be used by the Walker-vetted Board of Regents for the purpose of breaking up UW-Madison, for instance, and replacing or eradicating academic programs ideologically unpopular with the GOP and political donors under the rubric of proactive fiscal action.

Notes Karen Herzog:

Currently, tenured faculty can be dismissed only for just cause or if a campuswide financial emergency is declared. Both are difficult to prove.

The GOP's proposed language deletes 'when a financial emergency exists' as a justification for laying off or terminating tenured faculty and replaces it with different conditions: 'due to a budget or program decision regarding program discontinuance, curtailment, modification (or) redirection.' (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

In the absence of academic freedom protections in the LAB statute, easy to contemplate a Walker or Dept of Administration, or GOP-dominated Legislative Committee-appointed inspector general conducting an ideologically charged audit giving a policy rationale for the Walker-appointed UW Regents to act against academic programs, professors without tenure protection, courses within the University of Wisconsin System, instructional methods, research and public service activities.

Seen in this light, Walker's move earlier this year to remove the Wisconsin Idea from state statutes, along with other attacks on the UW System, reveals a broader effort to diminish Walker's most potent political foe, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW-Extension Centers , Dane County and other Wisconsin college towns.

One wonders if UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank really regards the attack on faculty tenure as not a "disaster" in light of this further effort to destroy another statutory protection of academic freedom. (Sommerhauser, Wisconsin State Journal).

This is not a move to merely frighten or upset the Wisconsin people, as Blank has said, (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) it's another move in the GOP project to destroy the UW System.

Is it not clear that Walker and the GOP's objective is to eliminate the University System as Wisconsin knows it?

"The university’s Faculty Senate plans a special meeting Tuesday to discuss the legislative [tenure] proposal," notes Sommerhauser.

GOP Wants to Axe Legislative Audit Bureau after It Uncovered GOP Corruption

A series of audits conducted by the Legislative Audit Bureau revealed incompetence and corruption at Scott Walker's flagship 'jobs' agency, and now GOP legislators are proposing to dismantle the 50-year-old Bureau. (Elbow, The Capital Times)

The non-partisan Bureau "conducts objective audits and evaluations of state agency operations to ensure financial transactions have been made in a legal and proper manner and to determine whether programs are administered effectively, efficiently, and in accordance with the policies of the Legislature and the Governor." (Legislative Audit Bureau)

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, called the GOP proposal one of the worst ideas in a legislative session fraught with bad ideas. (Elbow, The Capital Times)

This GOP call for dismantling the Legislative Audit Bureau comes after a series in the Wisconsin State Journal revealed the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation [WEDC] had routinely given questionable loans, grants and tax credits to Scott Walker donors, and top Scott Walker aides pushed for a questionable $500,000 WEDC loan. (Wisconsin State Journal)

Walker is expected to declare his candidacy for the presidency in weeks.

The call also follows the Walker administration's criticism of Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne announcing he would read the audits to determine cause to begin a public integrity investigation. (Mal Contends)

The GOP move also follows the suggested removal of Walker as Chair of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation by Wisconsin Republicans as Walker became tainted as Chair. (Mal Contends)

Michael Isikoff's story in March also revealed on a massive contribution to a Scott Walker-aligned dark money operation before the donor received "$1.8 million in special tax credits from [WEDC] ... that Walker chairs ... ."

Barca and other Democratic legislators also called for a federal investigation after the audits became public.

“Changing the nonpartisan, award-winning Legislative Audit Bureau into partisan appointees continues the Republican efforts to reduce oversight of state government," Peter Barca said. "The move would allow for more partisan and special-interest influence and further erode Wisconsin’s tradition of clean, open and transparent government."

Barca also questioned the timing of the proposal, "coming on the heels of the extremely critical audit of the Walker Administration's WEDC, which has been rife with mismanagement and perceived cronyism." (Elbow, The Capital Times)

Scott Walker to DA: Don't Read Audits of Failed Jobs Agency

Scott Walker, Chair of embattled WEDC jobs agency, looks
like a pay-to-play scandal, another betrayal of public integrity
by Scott Walker who now calls any suggested probe a
"witch hunt" after promising in 2012 to take dramatic and
aggressive action to address massive failures.

As the national press notes Scott Walker shying away from the press again (Cogan, New York Magazine), back home in Wisconsin Scott Walker's flag ship 'jobs' agency has fallen apart amid calls for federal and state law enforcement investigations after a new, critical audit and a series of news reporting from a right-leaning Wisconsin newspaper. (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal)

As Walker is still seeking God's will to run for the presidency, Walker doesn't want the national political press poking around, asking questions, amid the debris of Walker's failed jobs agency.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is almost universally recognized as a trainwreck, but the announcement yesterday that Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne will review a recent audit of the WEDC to determine whether to open a criminal investigation has Walker's office fuming.

Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said, "This is clearly political gamesmanship by legislative Democrats and others more interested in playing politics than in helping improve economic development in Wisconsin." (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal)

Since when is reading an audit gamesmanship?

Since it embarrasses and might ultimately reveal more criminality from Scott Walker, busily traveling out of state dodging the press.

Even as fellow Republicans say they are "troubled" by WEDC loans and tax credits being dished out to Walker donors and the lack of any responsible oversight by Walker as WEDC Chair (Hall, Wisconsin State Journal), Walker through a spokesperson says to District Attorney Ozanne: Don't read the nonpartisan audit.

Walker's allies are also trying to kill a different law enforcement probe with the help of corrupt justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court (Levy, Mother Jones).

Now the Walker administration is criticizing a state constitutional law enforcement officer for even reading an audit after virtually unanimous bipartisan criticism of WEDC, after even Walker called for an end to WEDC loans and after the powerful GOP-led legislative committee called for Walker to be removed from the WEDC Board—essentially fired from his own flagship jobs creation agency.

Any objective observer, anyone who has ever watched Scott Walker operate, should be asking: What is Scott Walker hiding now?

Answers from Scott Walker are not forthcoming who was in D.C. yesterday at a no-press-allowed rightwing conclave attended by the likes of: Jerry Boykin with the Family Research Council, Morton Blackwell with the Leadership Institute, Tim Goeglein with Focus on the Family, Charmaine Yoest with Americans United for Life, Jeanne Monahan with the March for Life, Brian Brown with the National Organization for Marriage, Grover Norquist with Americans for Tax Reform, Brent Bozell with For America, Phil Kerpen with American Commitment, Chuck Cunningham with the National Rifle Association (NRA), former NRA president David Keene, and activist Ginni Thomas.

Scott Walker Fired as Chair of State Jobs Agency

Epic failure at Scott Walker-created jobs agency as powerful legislative
committee removes Walker from position as Chair.
From Scott Walker's 2011 Budget Address

Updated - Amid the burgeoning pay-to-play scandal showcasing Scott Walker's epic jobs failure, Wisconsin legislative Republicans did Scott Walker a big favor yesterday: They fired Scott Walker as Chair of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation [WEDC], Walker's failing jobs-creating agency.

Walker has long promised a laser-like focus on jobs that backfired as the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance called for removing Scott Walker from Chair of WEDC, admitting failure on the foundation of Walker's campaigns: Jobs. (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal) (Cognitive Dissonance) (Democurmudgeon)

In Scott Walker's 2011 Budget Address, Walker intoned, "During our special session on jobs, we created a public-private agency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation [WEDC] that will focus solely on job creation."

Since its inception in 2011, WEDC has engaged in the shady practice directing public monies to private Scott Walker donors, uncovered by state audits, creating few jobs with recipients of WEDC largesse shipping many jobs overseas. This prompted a bill authored by State Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) that would ban companies receiving WEDC money who off-shored jobs, now blocked by Wisconsin Republicans

The shady practices at WEDC is recently highlighted by a series in the Wisconsin State Journal and in a piece by national political writer, Michael Isikoff who broke a blockbuster story in March about a secret $1.5 million contribution to a GOP front group made by a Wisconsin billionaire, John Menard Jr., who subsequently received $1.8 million in special tax credits from WEDC and the virtual dismantlement of the Wisconsin DNR in Walker's proposed budget.

The DNR is long criticized by Menard whose operations were fined for violating Wisconsin environmental laws and illegally dumping hazardous wastes.

Make no mistake, the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance did Walker a political service by removing him from Chair of the failed jobs agency, as the putative candidate for the presidency is increasingly tainted.

Meanwhile, Walker campaigning on Oklahoma yesterday is posing new national energy policy as back home in Wisconsin, the abandoned people are suffering from Walker's lack of leadership on jobs and the corruption of public office for the benefit of big political donors to Walker.

But Walker feels free to spend most of his time outside Wisconsin. Walker's allies on the Wisconsin Supreme Court are expected to soon issue a favorable and a nakedly corrupt ruling on a criminal probe into Walker's illegally directing dark money from political donors to fight off the 2011-12 Recall movement.

Scott Walker—Pathological Liar's Deceptions Look Desperate

Scott Walker, Chair of embattled WEDC agency, looks
like a pay-to-play scandal, another betrayal of public integrity
by Scott Walker who now calls any suggested probe a
"witch hunt" after promising in 2012 to take dramatic and
aggressive action to address massive failures.

Scott Walker, Chair of Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), and once its champion now issues denials he knows anything about WEDC grants, loans and tax credits as his flagship economic state agency is in full meltdown.

In a normal, moral person the weight of guilt follows lies and other actions intended to deceive.

Scott Walker exceeds the pathologies associated with typical politicians whom most Americans all assume lie to some degree.

This life-long politician is scrambling to react to the WEDC scandal, now in the deny-deceive-and-divert phase of scandal management, without apparent shame.

WEDC Chair Scott Walker issued denials yesterday that he ever read any WEDC letters about a $500,000 loan to Building Committee Inc., and another denial that Walker knew his "top aides, including [former Department of Administration] DOA Secretary Mike Huebsch, pressed for a $4.3 million loan to Building Committee Inc. as the company was collapsing. The company’s owner, William Minahan, made a last-minute $10,000 contribution to Walker’s 2010 campaign" (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal)

This follows Walker's previous denials in 2012 about any knowledge of WEDC's $11.7 million in tax breaks to Skyward, "a Stevens Point-based company bidding on a $15 million statewide student information system." (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal)

In 2012 Walker vowed "aggressive" and "dramatic" action when it was reported some 99 companies' loan repayments were ignored by Walker and WEDC. "Following the revelation that millions in past-due loans had been ignored by state [WEDC] officials for more than a year, Gov. Scott Walker vowed Thursday to take aggressive action at the embattled state jobs agency that he has championed." (Stein, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) Walker vowed then he is "a good steward of taxpayers' money."

In Walker's 2011 Budget Address, Walker announced, "During our special session on jobs, we created a public-private agency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation that will focus solely on job creation. Our budget includes the resources and the organization to get the WEDC working to stimulate our economy."

But faced with revelation after revelation that $100s of millions of tax payer money is going down the sewer to donors to Scott Walker and politcal allies with few jobs created and many jobs shipped overseas, WEDC Chair Walker has been forced into a I-didn't-know line of response, a pattern of Walker's.

For instance, in March Michael Isikoff broke a story detailing how a Wisconsin billionaire, John Menard Jr., gave $1.5 million in secret contributions to a "pro-Walker political advocacy group that pledged to keep its donors secret." (Isikoff, Yahoo News)

Subsequently, Menard's "was awarded up to $1.8 million in tax credits by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation ... in 2013 and 2014," and the Wisconsin DNR, the bane of Manard, was decimated by Walker in his proposed budget.

Walker said through a flack he was "not involved" in the WEDC decision on Menard's tax credits though he chairs WEDC.

On May 10, commenting from South Carolina, Walker repeated he and WEDC "absolutely" have been good stewards of taxpayer dollars. (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal)

On Monday. commenting from New Orleans, Walker said the WEDC scandal is a "political witch hunt." (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal) amid calls for a federal investigation into WEDC operations and widespread suspicions of pay-to-play.

Such a federal investigation might fall under the authority of the US DoJ Public Integrity Division, the US Attorney's office or a special DoJ Task Force.

Walker did not comment specifically on the question if his 2012 promised "aggressive" and "dramatic" actions at WEDC have been successful.

Scott Walker—Scandal as Aides Get Walker Donor $100,000s; Letter Cced to Walker

Scott Walker had to comment from New Orleans on the growing scandal back home but it isn't because Walker is digging the Blues-Jazz scene and drinking in the Quarter enjoying the nightlife.

Walker was out trashing public schools at a for-profit private school conclave. (Williams, New Orleans Times-Picayune)

Back in Wisconsin, calls for a federal investigation of Walker's slush fund are growing (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal), after audits revealed a rash of highly questionable loans and grants from Chairman Walker's Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

http://WWW.BCIHQ.COM - Unavailable but appreciative
of the $500,000 from Wisconsin taxpayers

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Stein, Marley) breaks a story this morning Walker lied about his knowledge of a six-figure WEDC loan going to a major Walker backer.

Write Stein and Marley in their lede: "State records say that Gov. Scott Walker received a copy of a 2011 letter pledging a $500,000 taxpayer loan to a now-defunct Milwaukee construction company headed by a Walker donor, seemingly contradicting statements by the governor and his aides that he was not aware of the award."

Walker said he played no role and his spokesperson said Walker had no knowledge, though the Journal-Sentinel notes: "The Sept. 9, 2011, letter from Paul Jadin, WEDC's chief executive officer at the time, was sent to William Minahan, owner of Building Committee Inc., a company that is now being sued by WEDC for defaulting on the unsecured loan without delivering the promised project and the jobs it was supposed to create.

Jadin said in his letter of intent that he was writing "on behalf of Governor Scott Walker" and noted "cc: Scott Walker, Governor" at the bottom.

No role from the Chair, Scott Walker, of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp?

Something smells.

Writes the State Journal's DeFour:

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said at a news conference at the Capitol that a State Journal investigation of a $500,000 state economic development loan to Building Committee Inc. (BCI) that has never been repaid shows evidence of “possible corruption.”

The State Journal reported its findings in a two-part series that ran Sunday and Monday.

“$500,000 in taxpayer funds were wasted by Gov. Walker and his administration on a loan that never should have been granted to a major campaign contributor,” said Barca, a board member of Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. “As a taxpayer and someone who cares deeply about economic development in this state, as a legislator and a board member, I am outraged.”

Barca and Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, who also serves on the WEDC board, called on U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and U.S. Attorneys John Vaudreuil and James Santelle to launch an investigation into missing documents, whether taxpayer dollars were misused, and whether criminal violations may have taken place at WEDC.

Likely, Walker's I-don't-know line will change to a 'We moved on," and then "We are cooperating with federal investigators ... and concentrating on jobs and families.'

Serving the Wisconsin people would be nice.

As would Walker trade missions to Milwaukee, Kenosha, Beloit and Racine.

Scott Walker's Pay-to-Play Scandal Lights Up Corruption

Scott Walker Evades the Nation yesterday

Epic Failure Is Now Full-fledged Scandal

Scott Walker found an inventive way to award political donors when he took office: Take the state Dept. of Commerce, partially privatize it and use the money in a slick pay-to-play scheme, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

Never mind recipients of WEDC largess, Walker's political backers, promptly took the money and shipped jobs overseas (Brown, One Wisconsin Now) while making out like bandits.

As WEDC's Chair, Walker has crowed about WEDC since he took office and he and WEDC officials have taken a series of recent overseas junkets that Walker calls "trade missions."

Scott Walker suggested yesterday this makes him the most qualified candidate for the presidency because of his gubernatorial "leadership," enhanced by the tax payer-financed 'trade missions' from which Walker has divined foreign policy wisdom (CBS Face the Nation (May 17, 2015, via Raw Story)).

WEDC has become another dirty scandal for Walker, and a series of state audits ripped Walker's operation seemingly since its inception in July 2011, forcing Walker to defend WEDC from South Carolina in early May (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal), and then this weekend hurriedly calling for the elimination of all economic development loans without notifying the WEDC Board. (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal)

WEDC Chairman Walker is head-deep in dirt chronicled in a new series by the Wisconsin State Journal: Dissenting a Bad Idea. (DeFour and Hall), and Company Obtained Loan from WEDC, Unsuccessful Elsewhere (Hall) detailing how Walker cronies fronted for Walker donors to get money from WEDC.

A bill authored by State Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) that would ban companies receiving WEDC money shipping jobs overseas is being blocked by Wisconsin Republicans with no comment from Walker on the bill who avoids questions like Poison Oak in mid-Summer.

Walker has presided over WEDC that has funneled $100s of millions in state grants, loans, bonds and tax credits, many to Walker donors maxed out in political donations to Walker, after which WEDC created arguably a paltry 5,000 jobs as of 2014 after Walker promised 50,000 new jobs (Bottari, The Capital Times).

Scott Walker presents the WEDC disaster and its trade missions as making him fit to lead the country as president because Walker says—in a fast-talking, semi-coherent answer—he has garnered foreign policy insights, in response to this question below from Bob Schieffer of CBS Face the Nation yesterday. Walker's response this morning to the WEDC scandal is here.

Though Walker's response is typically impenetrable, the question now is: Is what Walker and WEDC did legal?