.The Wisconsin Senate voted Tuesday to oust leaders of the bipartisan state agencies charged with running elections and overseeing ethics laws, the latest move by Republicans to exact revenge on anyone connected with a now-closed investigation into Gov. Scott Walker and other conservatives.And when I say retaliation and pure pettiness, I wasn't kidding:
The highly unusual Senate vote was designed to force out two former employees of the now-shuttered agency that approved the Walker probe who were later selected to head the newly created bipartisan Elections and Ethics commissions.
Fitzgerald said he could never support Bell or Haas because of their work for the GAB, which conservatives believe unfairly investigated Walker and other Republicans for alleged illegal campaign coordination. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ended the secret investigation, known as a John Doe, in 2015 and no one was charged.The vote, which was taken without a public hearing beforehand, as is the norm, was also without merit:
The Ethics Commission on Monday night, just hours before the vote, released findings of its own internal investigation conducted by a former federal prosecutor, Patrick Fiedler, and his law firm. Their investigation determined “there is not a scintilla of evidence that Brian Bell has ever performed any of his governmental duties in a partisan manner.”As if it wasn't clear before, the dark money syndicate is in charge of the State of Wisconsin and they don't even care about hiding their misdeeds anymore.
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Haas did not work directly on the John Doe investigation, but did review legal filings made in lawsuits over the probe. Bell did not work on the investigation and publicly criticized the former GAB last week, saying he left it because he thought it was mismanaged and unfairly enforcing the law.
I'm sure the Republicans also see the added bonus of making it easier to commit election fraud in an effort to stem the Blue Wave that's already hit the state once in a special election last week.
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I am a victim of voter obstruction.
ReplyDeleteOn Aug 9, 2016, I was obstructed from voting for a full 35 minutes on a ridiculous pretext in Fitchburg, Wisconsin.
I have spoken with, and engaged in email conversations with Michael Haas numerous times and the only tangible move from Haas was his suggestion that as an option I vote absentee to avoid hostile poll workers.
I should not have to vote absentee; Haas' suggestion that I vote absentee avoids the question I posed asking why Fitchburg poll workers feel empowered to obstruct voters with whom they have a political animus.
Haas threw in with racist and vindictive Fitchburg poll workers and City Clerk personnel when he should have been investigating these same perpetrators for misconduct in public office and violation of settle election law and procedure.
But Haas rejected my liberty claim. And I have no confidence in any institution or bureaucracy that employs this obtuse bureaucrat.
Left out of the discussion and the entire Senate debate yesterday is the right of voters to cast their preference free of harassment and obstruction. Haas is no help in this regard.
I suspect if you were obstructed in the manner I was, you would demand a fair hearing from every appropriate election official.
I did and Michael Haas was a complete failure. Good riddance.