Walker Returns $50,000 in Jack Links’-Related Contributions with $75,000 in Taxpayer Dollars

Business Contributed Heavily to Republican Governors Association, Which Spent $5 Million to Elect Walker

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker has announced a $75,000 taxpayer-financed grant to a company, who along with its Chief Executive Officer, donated nearly $50,000 in 2010 to the Republican Governors Association, which spent $5 million to elect Walker governor, according to a figures obtained from the Internal Revenue Service by One Wisconsin Now. Walker announced the taxpayer-financed grant to the company, Jack Links, Tuesday in a press release.

“Once again, Wisconsin taxpayers are footing Gov. Walker’s handouts to special interest campaign contributors,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “From taxpayer-financed tax breaks to high-paying jobs for the unqualified kids of industry donors, Walker is running a scheme would make Boss Hogg blush.”

One Wisconsin Now’s review of the Republican Governors Association showed $36,740 in contributions and in-kind costs donated by Jack Links of Minong and a $10,000 personal contribution from CEO Jack Link between April and July 2010. Two additional in-kind contributions totaling $1,304 were made in November 2010.

“Gov. Walker wants to cut over $800 million from public schools and hike prescription drug costs for seniors,” said Ross. “He’s cutting from our schools and our seniors so he can give $75,000 of our money to a company that dumped $50,000 into the Republican Governors Association’s $5 million election-year smear campaign.”

The Jack Links-related contributions include:

$25,000 from Jack Links Inc, 4/26/10
$10,000 from CEO Jack Link, 7/26/10
$11,309 from Jack Links Inc. in-kind, 7/9/10 – 7/15/10
$ 1,304 from Jack Links Inc. in-kind, 11/15/10
$ 431 from Jack Links Inc. in-kind, 5/10/10

“Gov. Walker is handing out over $200 million in tax breaks for the rich and big business and his bad choices continue,” said Ross. “We all knew Gov. Walker’s new privatized Commerce Department was going to be an ATM machine for Walker’s favored industries, but all the same this is shocking.”