Saturday, July 14, 2012

Walkergate: You Don't Suppose...

I received an email from a faithful reader today that got me musing over the latest bit of news to come from the ongoing saga of Walkergate in which Tim Russell's fourth attorney, Dennis Krueger, opened the door for Attorney #5 by getting a job as a state prosecutor in Fond du Lac County.

The question is just how did he swing that deal?

Now, Fond du Lac County's District Attorney's Office has been known to make some boneheaded moves, so Krueger might fit in, although if incompetence is a standard for them, Krueger just might be overqualified. After all, he is the one that helped former Waukesha County DA Paul Bucher blow the case against Mark Chmura:
Earlier in the day, Boyle tried to raise questions of misconduct when he questioned an assistant prosecutor.

Waukesha County Assistant District Attorney Dennis Krueger, who was removed from Chmura's case last month so he could testify as a witness, said that he moved parts of a defense exhibit and he has watched parts of other testimony on television in alleged violation of a court order.

"I am offended," Boyle told the judge, after a heated cross-examination. "I think it goes to his motive, his bias and his involvement."

Bucher told the judge that Krueger had done nothing wrong.

"Mr. Boyle feels he has the right to trash anyone's reputation in the defense of his client. He's playing for the cameras," Bucher said.

"Let's bring it down a notch, both of you," Gempeler said.

Krueger was a prosecutor assigned to Chmura's case, but Gempeler removed him from the team so that he could testify about a meeting with key defense witness Michael Kleber.

Krueger testified that he and Bucher never coerced Kleber, a high school football star who attended the post-prom party, to change his original statement.

Kleber initially told police that he saw Chmura's accuser go into the bathroom with a smile. He later changed his statement to say he remembered little about the night because he had been drinking. On the stand last week, he gave an account similar to his original statement.
But did Krueger have any help getting that state job?

Frankly, I don't know.

But if he did, it would require someone who would want Russell's trial delayed and the pull to make the hiring happen to accomplish the delay.

And there's only one person who fits that description. And that same person already has a certain level of familiarity with Krueger and has helped him in the past:
Republican Waukesha County District Attorney Candidate Dennis Krueger has officially filed his nomination papers at the State Elections Board and also picked up a major endorsement from Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.
And if one reads the press release further, they would see a lot of familiar names who have been of note lately for their allegiance to Walker and the Kochs:
In addition to Scott Walker and Republican Representative Gundrum and Waukesha County Executive Vrakas, Krueger has also been endorsed by Republican State Senators Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield), and Neil Kedzie (R-Elkorn), and State Representatives Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc), Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa), Ann Nischke (R-Waukesha), and Don Pridemore (R-Hartford). Former Congressman Mark Neumann, his wife Sue, Hartland Police Chief Robert Rosch and many other law enforcement officials are supporting Dennis in his bid to replace Paul Bucher.
But I'm sure that's all just coincidence, right?

13 comments:

  1. So why did Maistleman hire him?

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  2. King, great catch(es).

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  3. Another consideration as to why Krueger was on Russel's case to begin with, given how damaging it could be to his connections, is that someone wanted him in a position to see the documents or evidence, or to influence Russell's case on their behalf.

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  4. Here's some really wild speculation, Walker's legal team was playing both Krueger and Russell. Above all, Walker's legal team wanted Krueger representing Russell, because they knew Maistleman would not provide them with intelligence on the D.A.'s every move.

    Walker's legal team knew Russell wouldn't accept Krueger, because he was understandably afraid he'd represent Walker's interests, not his. So, Walker's legal team found someone to convince Russell of the truth, that Krueger was not-very-bright-by-law-school-standards that they were inserting to provide a safety-net in case Russell was convicted. They would have explained that Krueger's work for the D.A. was an obvious conflict of interest and that if convicted, gave Russell excellent grounds for an appeal.

    Walker's legal team left all that out when asking Krueger to represent Russell. They told Krueger the D.A.'s job was a plum. All they wanted in return was second-to-second reconnaissance on what the prosecution was doing. In this scenario, Krueger had no clue his law license was intentionally being put in jeopardy to help Russell/Walker.

    IANAL

    #worthwhatyoupaid4it

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  5. This entire thread and all previous posts on this matter are just that, "really wild speculation".

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    1. I don't think soooooooooooooooooo...

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    2. I'll speculate that Dennis Krueger will be looking for a new career that does not require a law license. The Judge & DA are not very amused with his shenanigans.

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  6. I think it shows once again that all these people are in an evil clique and they are trying to get around the law. Just my "wild" opinion.

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  7. I think Krueger would have no trouble getting the Fond du Lac County job on his own. He was a state assistant attorney general before joining Maistelman's firm this spring. (Of note: he quit the state AG job somewhat abruptly, right after his wife filed for a separation.) I have a theory that he knew all along that he wouldn't be Russell's attorney for long; I assume he was asked to muddy the waters of the Russell prosecution. I'm curious as to whether someone, on Walker's behalf, will ultimately protect Russell. Guess it depends on whether Russell starts talking.

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  8. Russell's previous attorneys realized that the only way to help their client was to cooperate with the DA. The plea deal that Landgraf mentioned in the Judges chamber on March 12th is long gone thanks to Krueger.
    Seems to this innocent bystander that Krueger's intent all along was to keep Russell from turning states evidence and delay the trial to buy time for Walker.
    Judge Hansher and Asst. DA Landgraf can see right through Krueger's shenanigans and may bring an abrupt end to his legal career.

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  9. An update on the court schedule - perhaps Capper can make a front page post just giving us a bit of any update on where all of these things stand:

    Timothy D. Russell
    07-20-2012
    Status conference

    09-10-2012
    Jury trial

    Kelly Rindfleisch
    07-19-2012
    Motion Hearing

    08-17-2012
    Motion Hearing

    10-15-2012
    Jury Trial

    Darlene Wink
    07-17-2012
    Sentencing

    Kevin Kavanaugh
    09-04-2012
    Final Pre-Trial

    10-08-2012
    Trial

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    1. Almost forgot:

      Brian Pierick
      08-13-2012
      Hearing

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