One Wisconsin Now
Press Release

Bombshell New Report Casts Doubt on Gov. Walker’s Denial of Secret Email System in Governor’s Office

Report Cites Source Confirming Use of Laptops and Personal Emails by Key Members of Governor’s State Staff

By - Feb 25th, 2014 02:19 pm

MADISON, WI — A new report raises questions about the veracity of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s denial of the existence of a secret email system in the Governor’s office. An article posted today on UrbanMilwaukee.com reports that a source with knowledge of the Governor’s staff operation in the State Capitol described a system of top state staff using laptop computers and personal email addresses in an apparent attempt to evade the Wisconsin open records laws and subvert prohibitions on state employees engaging in campaign activity on state time.

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross said of the latest revelations, “Now we know why Gov. Walker has been so adamant in avoiding the press and answering their questions. The truth may be significantly different from the version of events he and his handlers have been selling for going on four years.”

In Washington, D.C. earlier this week Gov. Walker explicitly denied, in response to a question from the media, that a secret system similar to one in his office suite when he was Milwaukee County Executive existed in the Governor’s office. The information disclosed by a source to the longtime investigative reporter at UrbanMilwaukee.com appears to directly contradict Walker’s statement.

A secret “John Doe” investigation of Gov. Walker’s top aides and associates from his time as Milwaukee County Executive resulted in guilty pleas from aides for illegal activities ranging from laundering campaign contributions, embezzling from charities and illegal campaigning on public time.

Previously unreleased emails from Gov. Walker’s county deputy chief of staff revealed the secret email system was used for rampant campaigning on public time, Gov. Walker’s gubernatorial campaign staff was intimately involved in public policy issues and Walker himself was intimately involved in the details of crafting his public image and responding to negative media coverage.

In addition, the court testimony of investigators in the John Doe proceedings related to the issuance of search warrants indicated that they believed Walker himself was aware of the secret email system.

Ross concluded, “Gov. Walker has been stonewalling questions about his knowledge of the culture of corruption that has surrounded him. It seems that that walls are starting to crumble as Gov. Walker’s evasions are directly contradicted by evidence.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

Organizations:

Recent Press Releases by One Wisconsin Now

Dan Kelly’s Opinion: It’s OK to Lie in Judicial Campaigns

State Supreme Court Candidate Co-Authored Column Opposing Efforts to Clean Up Court Campaigns

Campaign Cash Keeps Flowing to WILL’s Shill Dan Kelly

Over $14,000 from Board Members of Right-Wing Legal Group to State Court Justice’s Campaign

Right-Wing Group That Wants to Criminalize Abortion Backs Dan Kelly State Supreme Court Campaign

Dan Kelly Supporters Want Court Action to Allow Enforcement of Abortion Ban Dating to 19th Century

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us