Democratic Party of Wisconsin
Press Release

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Following Donald Trump Model Of Withholding Financial Records

In 2015, private groups or individuals paid $51,840 in airfare for the Milwaukee County Sheriff Clarke to fly to 25 events, meetings or speaking engagements.

By - Sep 19th, 2016 03:22 pm
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. Photo by Garrick Jannene.

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. Photo by Garrick Jannene.

MADISON — With just 50 days left until Election Day, Donald Trump is yet to release his tax returns to the public. Not only does Trump have a problem with being forthcoming with his own personal records, he has a penchant for surrounding himself with people like Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke who refuse to be transparent with the public.

Sheriff Clarke has spent the last few months stumping for Donald Trump, repeating the Republican nominee’s dangerous rhetoric and doubling-down on Trump’s reckless policy proposals. Reporting from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel shows that Clarke received thousands of dollars in gifts, speaking fees, and traveling expenses – all as an elected public official. Clarke has refused to disclose everything he has received, raising serious questions about who he is truly representing as County Sheriff.

According to the report, in 2015, private groups or individuals paid $51,840 in airfare for the Milwaukee County Sheriff Clarke to fly to 25 events, meetings or speaking engagements – including a $40,000 trip to Israel and Russia paid for primarily by the National Rifle Association. Other items gifted to the Sheriff include a $1,159 firearm, a $350 black powder muzzleloader, and tickets to sporting events. In the interest of transparency to the public, Milwaukee County officials are supposed to report anything of value they receive.

State Department of Revenue officials say they have no record of Clarke’s 2015 state income taxes leaving it unclear if the Sheriff has reported the gifts and value of his travel on his income taxes.

“Sheriff Clarke must see Donald Trump as a role model since he’s not just copying his dangerous rhetoric, but also mimicking the Republican nominee’s unwillingness to disclose crucial financial records,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Brandon Weathersby said on Monday. “Unless Sheriff Clarke can prove otherwise, it seems he is using his elected position to reap huge gifts from private groups while also claiming to be a public official – that’s not how the system is supposed to work. Clarke needs to disclose his full financial history immediately to show he is working for the people of Milwaukee County and not right-wing special interests.”

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

13 thoughts on “Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Following Donald Trump Model Of Withholding Financial Records”

  1. Alene says:

    He can always be voted out of office and hopefully the next time he will.

  2. Gunther says:

    Sheriff Clarke is a great man. He’s teaching us all how the Dems have manipulated the blacks for votes but have received no reciprocal benefits for at least 50 years.

    Want a prosperous inner city in Milwaukee? Vote out the Dems that have kept you subservient. What have you got to lose? We’ll all ride the cresting tide to success together.

  3. John says:

    The Clintons get HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS PER APPEARANCE.

    According this article Clark is getting about 2k per appearance.

    Bill and Hillary have a net worth of 100 million through a career in politics.

    Which is a bigger news story: Travel expenses or Graft ?

  4. Vincent Hanna says:

    The Clarke Fan Club appears. Bush also gets paid a ton of money per appearance. That is normal for an ex-president. Are you also livid about that? Your comparison is apples and oranges. Clarke is profiting from his role as sheriff which he is not allowed to do. That is not the same as an ex-president being paid to give a speech. They no longer hold office. How much time is he spending away from Milwaukee County? A whole lot. Must be nice. He gets to travel first-class to do his tough guy macho cowboy act all over the country.

  5. Lisa says:

    I work all over the inner city of Milwaukee, visiting people in their homes!! Most of the places I go are deplorable. Why do people settle for less than they are worth? The Dems have run Milw. Forever!! Its time for a change!!! NO ONE deserves to live with cockroaches and bed bugs and daily shootings!! VOTE TRUMP!!

  6. Sidley says:

    Previous comments need to adhere to correct context of this discussion; (1)Hillary Clinton is not a former president, & Sherrif Clarke is not a presidential nominee. (2)The Clinton Foundation does not receive exorbitant speaking fees and appropriate them to charity as their 501C status implies. Instead their fees go to Hillary’s campaign and to foreign entities who pay the Clinton’s as pimps in exchange for political influence (i.e. non-U.S. citizens gaining influence over U.S. policy). (3)Sherrif Clarke is using gifts & donations for his speaking engagement travel expenses, which is in no way unconstitutional or unethical. Even if that were the case, he’s doing a hell of a lot more good at representing the laws of this land than a presidential nominee who has been sued time and again- dating back to her initial appearance on the scene as FLOTUS-by her own employer, the federal government.

  7. Ann says:

    It appears that the author of the smear campaign has made some assumptions. If I recall correctly Sheriff Clarke is a member of the NRA and that in itself is his personal business 1000’s of officers nationwide are members as well. Mentioning the two firearms the author has left out pertinent information. Did Sheriff Clarke receive these as a private citizen from someone or an organization such as the NRA? Was he being honored as the Sheriff of Milwaukee or as a private citizen? As for his travel was this travel on his time or on the Counties time? If it were a business trip I assume a superior would have to approve it prior to his departure. Making vague accusations without factual evidence is uncalled for and nothing but a smear campaign in an attempt to raise emotional outrage. If the author has factual information to back up the claims they should be in this article but they are not.

    The Democratic Party is infamous for creating emotional outrage in anyway they can thus most people who are unaware will vote emotionally either negatively or positively depending on the outrageous statements made by them. I hold no allegiance with either party I’m an Independent and I look at each individual who’s running for office.

    This year the Democrats have shown their true fascist colors, I’ve been waiting for this to happen and here we are. A man who worked with the AIDS/HIV Foundation for many years was fired for supporting Donald Trump. Others have been smeared and demonized for the same. Now they attack Sheriff Clarke who’s next on the Marxist Socialist list? This is how it works because the Democratic Party has nothing else to stand on. They have no solutions to our countries miserable condition so the only way to attempt to gain power is to scream racism, misogyny, islamophobia, sexism etc. The Party was hacked their fraudulent activity, racism and pay-for-play has come out to the public. So why not create as much emotional outrage as possible to mask their criminal activity?

    Is anyone aware that the man who started the so called Trump University law suit is a big Hillary Clinton donor? Of course not! Is anyone aware that the Clinton Foundation stole over a billion dollars from the poor people of Haiti after the devastating earthquake and that the Haitian people are still living in make shift tents with no running water? Is anyone aware that Hillary Clinton’s brother profited greatly by getting Haitian government’s rights to their gold? Is anyone aware that the Haitian forests have been emaciated and there’s now a black market for charcoal there? Is anyone aware that the claim Hillary Clinton makes that 27 million people around the world now have safe drinking water due to the Clinton Foundation is absolutely false? Their foundation has done nothing except pose for a photo-op holding plastic cups of water.

    One may think it outrageous for Mr. Trump to have made the accusation that Hillary Clinton and Obama were the creators of ISIS. Well I’m here to tell you he is factually correct like it or not. The DNC Leaked emails clearly prove this to be true. So while everyone is in an uproar over Sheriff Clarke we’re all ignoring or have blocked out what really counts. Our government is corrupt to the core. They’ve taken too much of our liberties spent trillions of dollars to bail out the rich 1% and the vast majority is the Democratic Party. There are many Republican cronies on the money train as well. How do you know which one’s they are? Just look at those who support Hillary Clinton and you’ll automatically know. Someone mentioned the Bush’s and we can count all of them into the racket.

    I could go on for days here although I’ll stop here. My impression of Sheriff Clarke is that he is an honorable man and one to be respected. No one is perfect although let’s not assume he’s hiding or that he’s a criminal as the Democrats want you to believe. Hold your emotions and let the facts play out before you condemn the man because someone else says he’s a crook.

    That’s my take and I support Sheriff Clarke as innocent before proven guilty.

  8. JPB says:

    Wow, you’re concerned about $50,000, but not concerned about $300 MILLION in “donations” to the Clinton Foundation? From SAUDI PRINCES, no less. Pay for play is a euphemism for BRIBERY. How about the $6 BILLION that @HillaryClinton “LOST”?

    Your priorities are SKEWED, to say the LEAST! Get honest with yourself. #TrumpPence2016 @realdonaldTrump

  9. Reader says:

    He’s like Jesus on a horse, a pale horse, but with a gun. Go back to Russia you player haters!!!

  10. Vincent Hanna says:

    Wow did all of Clarke’s Facebook friends get redirected here? Or are they all him using pseudonyms?

    ISIS was created before Obama took office. The ignorance of some of you people is staggering. It’s hilarious that Clarke is innocent until proven guilty but that same courtesy isn’t extended to anyone with a D after their name. Apparently the kool-aid is delicious.

  11. Dave Reid says:

    @Vincent Actually, twitter.

  12. Dimlight Drone says:

    Thank you for this important information. It’s too bad Trump doesn’t constantly collapse and share Hillary’s terrible health iproblems. Hopefully, her meds will enable her to hide her Parkinson’s till after the election, GO HILLARY!

  13. A Bus Driver says:

    What a bunch of nutjobs for Clarke. He is the same type of whore like Scooter Walker is for Koch Bros. The only damn reason he is stomping for Chump is M-O-N-E-Y. He’d sellout his own mother. Any respect I had for him left the second he started traveling around campaigning & not being at home doing his frigging job in MILWAUKEE COUNTY.

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