Holding Attorney General Schimel’s Government Waste Accountable

Brad Schimel. Photo from the State of Wisconsin.

MADISON – Recently, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel’s Department of Justice paid $10,000 in taxpayer dollars to an out-of-state company in Florida to mint fake coins (see story here). State Representative Daniel Riemer (D – Milwaukee) released the following statement following this disclosure:

“When asked about the frivolous purchase of 10,000 fake coins, Schimel’s aide responded by calling the inquiry into the waste of taxpayer funds ‘trivial and not a high priority.’ There is nothing trivial about protecting taxpayer money. In spite of what the Attorney General’s office tells us, it is the highest priority for lawmakers and public servants.

“To put this in perspective, undergraduate in-state tuition at UW-La Crosse is $9,214 for the 2016-2017 school year, at UW-Eau Claire in-state tuition amounts to $8,800, and for UW-Milwaukee in-state tuition will be $9,543 for the 2017-2018 school year. The money Attorney General Schimel wasted on fake coins from an out-of-state company could have paid for a Wisconsin resident to cover tuition at a number of UW schools for a whole year.”

Representative Riemer introduced legislation today that would reduce the salary of Wisconsin’s Attorney General by $10,000. This would cover the cost to Wisconsin taxpayers for the 2,000 gold plated coins purchased by the Department of Justice from an out-of-state company at the direction or with the knowledge of Attorney General Schimel.

“As legislators, we should be protecting taxpayer money,” said Representative Riemer. “This bill holds accountable those who deem this responsibility to be ‘trivial and not a high priority.’”

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.