“Bad Judgment” Brad: Brad Schimel’s Record of Victim Blaming

MADISON, Wis. — While Brad Schimel ramps up false attacks on Judge Susan Crawford, he’s forgetting his own record of failure to protect women and victims throughout his career. From blaming victims for his own failures to suggesting that a child’s “bad judgment” caused her own assault, Brad Schimel has failed to put victims first.

See more details about Brad Schimel’s record of victim blaming:

• As Waukesha County District Attorney, Brad Schimel didn’t recommend any jail time for Dustin Yoss, a man convicted of sexually assaulting a child and said the victims had “used bad judgment” in allowing themselves to be alone with the man. [Dustin M. Yoss, Waukesha County Case Number 2003CF1151]
• One survivor of repeated sexual abuse said she was “disappointed” in the plea deal Brad Schimel agreed to with her abuser. Schimel claimed the survivor was “very fragile emotionally” and decided she wouldn’t have been able to withstand a trial. [State of Wisconsin vs. Robert D Lowrey, Waukesha County Case Number 2007CF23]
• In another case involving Sean Kebbekus, a man convicted of sexually assaulting a child, Brad Schimel recommended no prison time and said it was “basically a first date.” [Sean Kebbekus, Waukesha County Case Number 2004CF202]
• Amidst backlash over his failure to process over 6,000 untested rape kits as attorney general, Brad Schimel began pointing fingers. Brad Schimel suggested that “victim choices” were the reason that he had failed to deliver justice for thousands of survivors across Wisconsin.
• During the confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Brad Schimel blamed the women who came forward with high-profile accusations against Kavanaugh for discouraging other victims from speaking out about sexual abuse.

“Let’s be clear, because Brad Schimel doesn’t seem to get it: child abuse and sexual assault are never the victim’s fault,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Deputy Communications Director Haley McCoy. “Anyone who thinks otherwise should be kept far away from our state’s highest court.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.