Audio Reveals Walker’s ‘April Fool’ on Campaign Finance Laws

MADISON, Wis. — Audio from an Iowa event in March reveals Gov. Scott Walker joking with the crowd about his effort to evade campaign finance laws, while he rakes in potentially unlimited personal and corporate contributions to his sham fundraising operation while traveling the country on the presidential campaign trail without officially declaring his candidacy for president.

Speaking at a March 7 fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa), Walker said, “So, I appreciate you coming out, I am going to be back many more times. You know, the process tells us that legally we have to say we are ‘exploring,’ because the minute you say something else, a whole series of things happen. So as we ‘explore,’ we will come back many more times.” According to an attendee, Walker made air quotes when he said “as we explore,” eliciting laughter from the audience.

Walker has been roundly criticized for creating a 527 “issue” committee instead of raising funds into a traditional presidential campaign committee that has individual contribution limits and a prohibition of corporate contributions.

“Once again, Scott Walker show us if he thinks a law is inconvenient, he ignores that law,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “Let’s not forget there is an entire criminal investigation that has been going on for years related to efforts by Walker and his allies to evade campaign finance laws.”

Ross noted that as part of the criminal investigation, Walker transferred $500,000 from his gubernatorial campaign account, while refusing to reveal which of his donors authorized their use of contributions to pay his criminal defense attorneys.

“After spending his entire adult life in partisan politics, Scott Walker simply thinks the rules don’t apply to him,” said Ross.