Will Scott Walker File Complaint With District Attorney over Recall ‘Shots for Signatures’ Like He Did in 2000?

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker, who filed the complaint with the Milwaukee County District Attorney in 2000 over charges cigarettes were provided to a handful of potential voters, has remained uncharacteristically silent on evidence released this week that people were being promised liquor to sign recall signatures against a Democratic State Senator.

“In 2000, Scott Walker personally filed the complaint with the Milwaukee County district attorney calling for an investigation into what he called bribery, but ‘shots for signatures’ appears to be fine with him now,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “When will Gov. Walker file a complaint with the District Attorney?”

Walker’s unwillingness to comment on the recall signature allegations contradicts his unequivocal statements in 2000, including:

• “Let me qualify that since we brought the original episode of the cigarettes-for-votes issues to the attention of the district attorney’s office on Monday, they have been aggressive in seeking to follow up on that…” [Walker Press Conference, 11/10/00]
• “Even aside from the law itself, I just think most people on a gut check level would say that’s wrong. One has to question if they were going to be voting anyway, one has to question why would the campaign, the Gore campaign, be giving anything out, other than a ride to vote.” [Then-State Rep. Scott Walker, WISN-TV, 11/6/00]
• “Anything that gets something of value, be it a $20 bill on the street out here, or a pack of cigarettes, we think is wrong….The trading off of anything, something of worth, in exchange for someone’s vote — not only is it ethically questionable, we believe it’s a violation of the law.” [Walker, WISN-TV 11/5/00]

Allegations of numerous improprieties surrounding recall efforts against Sens. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay), Jim Holperin (D-Conover) and Bob Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) were leveled yesterday, including an out-of-state felon collecting recall signatures, citizens being deceived about the intent of the documents they were signing and charges that signatures were being traded for shots of alcohol.

“We know Gov. Walker was hoping David Koch would dump his money into saving the state Senate for his Republican allies,” said Ross. “But that should not stop Gov. Walker from calling for investigation and prosecution as his did in 2000.”