AG candidate Bucher screws up campaign finance case, says he is 'still confused'

Let's hope Paul Bucher has a campaign treasurer who knows the campaign finance laws better than he does.

How embarrassing is this?

The Journal Sentinel reports that Bucher -- the Waukesha DA who wants to be the state AG -- completely blew an opinion on whether the mayor of Brookfield had received contributions that were over the limits.

No problem, Bucher said in February. The mayor's contributions were fine.

But a reporter was still asking questions, so last month Bucher asked the State Elections Board to review the mayor's campaign finances. (If you read the story, you'll find he was more than a little testy about the media, too.)

Bucher said he asked the Elections Board to avoid any perception that he had a conflict of interest, because he and Mayor Jeff Speaker are using the same fund-raiser.

The State Elections Board said Bucher was dead wrong.

Bucher said in February that there was no violation because the campaign period for donations ended on election day, and anything given after that counted for the next campaign. The law says just the opposite -- that any money given before June 30 counts toward the April election. The reason is obvious. A donor could give the maximum the day before the election and do it again the day after, if you follow Bucher's logic.

"I still am confused, to be perfectly honest with you," Bucher said Tuesday, adding that he made his decision in February after reading the state campaign finances law.

He'd better read it again, especially if he's planning to use the Bucher rule in his own fund-raising for attorney general.