Is Wisconsin ‘Money Badger’ Michael Grebe Paying Fox News Head Big Bucks for Fawning Media Coverage of His Favorite Wisconsin Politicians?

MADISON, Wis. — Roger Ailes, Fox News Chair and CEO, is in line for a big payday courtesy of Wisconsin’s “Money Badger” Michael Grebe, head of the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation and co-chair of Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign. According to news reports, Ailes will receive a $250,000 no strings attached “Bradley Award” in a ceremony next month.

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross commented, “It seems strange that the Bradley Foundation would pay $250,000 for the fawning media coverage they and their right-wing agenda already get for free from Roger Ailes and Fox News. Maybe there’s more than meets the eye here.”

One Wisconsin Now research has exposed the vast web the Bradley Foundation has spun to advance their right-wing, pro-corporate agenda, including financing racist, voter suppression billboards, helping to underwrite a multi-million dollar, tax deductible ad campaign supporting Gov. Walker’s attack on Wisconsin workers in the lead up to his recall election and running a $31 million-plus education privatization propaganda campaign in Wisconsin.

Bradley head Grebe has served as Gov. Walker’s campaign co-chair since 2010. He has also been credited by failed Republican Vice-Presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as being his ‘political godfather’ and was instrumental in elevating current RNC Chair and fellow Wisconsinite Reince Priebus to his position.

“Calling what Fox does news is like calling Scott Walker a job creator, Paul Ryan a groundbreaking economic thinker or Reince Priebus a civil rights pioneer. As Walker jets around the country instead of doing his job in Wisconsin and Ryan tries to spin his disproven austerity schemes, one has to wonder how much fawning media coverage the ‘Money Badger’s’ $250,000 will get for his proteges,” concluded Ross.