Mired in conflicts of interest Watchdog.org's Wisconsin Reporter has remained silent in pay to play

[midnight]

"Mired in conflicts of interest, Watchdog.org's Wisconsin Reporter has remained silent as new information emerges concerning Governor Scott Walker's (R-WI) role in a potential pay-to-play scandal. The site, which echoed defendants calling the investigation a "witch hunt," has previously defended Walker from the allegations of campaign finance violations in over 150 articles.

The Wisconsin Reporter has been a staunch defender of Walker against allegations of wrongdoing stemming from the "John Doe" investigations, the protected state probes into Walker's campaign practices and possible illegal campaign coordination. Since January 1 of this year, the Reporter has published 19 articles either defending Walker or denouncing the validity of the investigations.The Reporter's website includes a special series on the "John Doe" investigations titled "Wisconsin's Secret War," which currently has 186 total entries.

But the Wisconsin Reporter has been silent as evidence reportedly leaked from the very investigation it has covered so heavily revealed potential instances of pay-to-play between a local business man and the Walker administration.

At issue is over $1.5 million in donations made in 2012 to the Wisconsin Club for Growth (WCG), a group that defended the Governor during his 2012 recall election and is directed by Walker's campaign advisor, Yahoo News' Michael Isikoff reported on March 23. The donations were made by hardware store franchise owner John Menard Jr. According to Isikoff, in the years after Walker survived that recall election, Menard's business has benefited from "up to $1.8 million in special tax credits from a state economic development corporation that Walker chairs."


http://cognidissidence.blogspot.com/2015/03/why-isnt-wisconsin-reporter-reporting.html

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Menard has also secured special consideration

on environmental issues relating to the placement of his store complexes in designated wetlands that were permitted to be filled in for the purpose.

I live near Eau Claire, Menard's base of operations. I don't know him but I have heard a lot of stories from people who do. He's the kind of sonofabitch (is that term still legal around here?) who would go around posing as a customer in his stores, trying to entice employees into saying something bad about the corporation or working for it, and then firing any employees on the spot, loudly & publicly, if they fell for it.

And oh, yeah, don't ever buy water-based paint there. Freezing damages it, but if it freezes in a warehouse or on a truck somewhere, Menard puts it out on the shelf anyway, figuring that most people won't bother to complain & return it.

My dream case would be one that takes down Walker & Menard in one big implosion.

[ewagner]

2. Heard the same stories...

Can I share your dream?

Walker and Menard in the same jail cell?

[midnight]

3. Pay to play by your own rules is showing itself to be a danger to the public. But if the

john doe hearing is being made secret next month and media will not report the news, we are on our own.