George Will Carries Scott Walker's Water

Even as newly released evidence of Scott Walker's illegal politicking is being combed through, George Will further beclowns himself by carrying Walker's water and trying to portray Walker and his corporate sponsors as the victims of crimes they have committed (and are probably still committing):

According to several published reports, Chisholm told subordinates that his wife, a teachers union shop steward at her school, is anguished by her detestation of Walker’s restrictions on government employee unions, so Chisholm considers it his duty to help defeat Walker.

In collaboration with Wisconsin’s misbegotten Government Accountability Board, which exists to regulate political speech, Chisholm has misinterpreted Wisconsin campaign law in a way that looks willful. He has done so to justify a “John Doe” process that has searched for evidence of “coordination” between Walker’s campaign and conservative issue advocacy groups.

Umm, yeah. The source for those published reports is a disturbed soul named Michael Lutz, who is sadly struggling with PTSD and alcoholism. He also has made death threats against Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and his family.

Furthermore, the CEO of American Media Institute, which commissioned those smear articles that Will cites, is using those smears as a launching pad for Walker's inevitable presidential bid:

"If he survives re-election, he might well become the number one Republican candidate," Richard Miniter, chief executive officer of American Media Institute, in a Tuesday article on the evangelical Christian website One News Now. The piece is entitled, "A union nightmare: Scott Walker in the White House."

Miniter's group commissioned two stories by Stuart Taylor Jr. that accuse Milwaukee's Democratic district attorney of conducting secret investigations of Walker and his staff because of Chisholm's wife's pro-union agenda. The source for Taylor's stories was Michael Lutz, a controversial ex-Milwaukee cop who spent less than six months as an unpaid aide in Chisholm's office in 2011.

As for Will's claims of innocence on the behalf of Walker and the dark money groups, we already know that to be a flat out lie as well. Walker and the Wisconsin Club for Growth were working hand in hand to skirt campaign finance laws:

The documents released Friday by a federal appeals court also show that prosecutors believe Walker personally solicited donations for conservative group Wisconsin Club for Growth to get around campaign finance limits and disclosure requirements as he fended off the recall attempt in 2012.

Aides told Walker to tell donors that they could make unlimited donations to Wisconsin Club for Growth without having the gifts publicly disclosed. Wisconsin Club for Growth then funneled the money to other conservative groups that advertised on Walker's behalf.

"As the Governor discussed ... he wants all the issue advocacy efforts run thru one group to ensure correct messaging," Walker fundraiser Kate Doner wrote to campaign adviser R.J. Johnson in April 2011, a little more than a year before the recall election. "We had some past problems with multiple groups doing work on 'behalf' of Gov. Walker and it caused some issues ... the Governor is encouraging all to invest in the Wisconsin Club for Growth."

Will is obviously confused between free political speech and pay for play corruption. But that's not surprising when one thinks about it. They are confused about a lot of things.

Cross posted at Crooks and Liars