Wisconsin GOP ran up $27,000 legal bill during budget standoff

[iwishiwas]

Typical of Fitzgerald-the Gov Walker poodle!!---blame his actions onto someone else!!


http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/120997864.html

Wisconsin GOP ran up $27,000 legal bill during budget standoff
Tax dollars used to seek advice about absent Democrats

By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel

April 29, 2011 |(74) Comments

Madison — Senate Republicans are paying lawyers nearly $27,000 for five days of work to try to force absent Democrats to return to Wisconsin.
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Frustrated by the Democrats' departures, Republicans hired attorney James Troupis to research legal means of bringing Democrats to the Senate floor. The state constitution says lawmakers can be compelled to attend legislative sessions, but does not spell out how that can be done.

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"They should have to pay for it out of their own pockets," said Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar). "It's a pretty outrageous use of taxpayer dollars.

"The public has a right to wonder why they were talking to lawyers instead of members of their own party who wanted compromise."

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said Democrats were the ones who caused the legal expenses.

"It's easy for them to say (the costs were too high) - they're the ones holed up in Illinois," Fitzgerald said. "Were we just supposed to sit as a body and wait for them to return?

"I'm not taking the blame for the bill. They can."...............