Republicans Using Audit to Justify Attacks on Election, Ethics Oversight Agency

MADISON, Wis. — The following are the statements of One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross regarding the release of an independent audit of the state Government Accountability Board and subsequent comments of Republican legislative leaders:

“As Wisconsin Republicans auction off state assets, sell public policy to the highest bidder and commit election fraud by rigging the system in their favor, they want to be able to do it without having to worry about pesky ethics and elections watchdogs.

“With total control of state government they’re using the audit of the Government Accountability Board not to improve but to dismantle any chance for independent ethics and campaign finance oversight in Wisconsin.

The Government Accountability Board is far from perfect and deserves our scrutiny.

“They stonewalled an open record request about who authorized implementation of an onerous and complicated photo ID law mere weeks before the November Election, an act subsequently suspended by the United States Supreme Court.

“And they have taken no apparent action on multiple instances of Republican corruption that we have brought to their attention, including Gov. Walker’s serial violations of campaign finance disclosure requirements and a registered lobbyist offering the then Assembly Majority Leader a free charter fishing excursion.

“The audit of the GAB points to significant areas of needed improvement, but it ought not be used as the excuse to eviscerate needed oversight of politicians ethics and the fair administration of our elections.”