Green's denials less believable every day

The news for Rep. Mark Green just keeps getting worse, with a steady drip ... drip ... drip from the Scott Jensen trial. Green's denials that he had any idea what was happening get a little less believable every day.

The latest: Assembly staff, on state time, helped Green get elected to Congress in 1998.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports:

"Generally, Assembly Republican staffers were encouraged to work on any races throughout the state which were sympathetic to the party," former Assembly Republican Caucus (ARC) graphic designer Eric Grant told the State Journal...

...Grant told the State Journal that during his five years with the ARC, he also worked on the successful congressional campaign of U.S. Rep. Mark Green in 1998 and the failed bid for Congress in 1996 by David Prosser, who now is a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. He said he also used the ARC office to produce campaign literature in 1998 for Dane County Board races, which are supposed to be non- partisan...

Grant testified that he used the ARC office and equipment to produce campaign literature for Green at the request of Green aide Mark Graul. In an interview, Grant also said he was present when Green's campaign organized state staffers to participate in a mass mailing of Green's congressional campaign literature at the ARC conference room in 1998.

Rob Vernon, the spokesman for Green's current campaign for governor, didn't deny that the mailing took place at the ARC but said, "As far as I know, there were no Green campaign staff that were present." He said the Republican congressman denies that he was aware of any illegal campaigning at the Capitol; Green was the Assembly's fifth-highest ranking Republican during four of his six years in the Legislature.

Green now is running against Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker for the Republican nomination for governor, and the two are vying to challenge incumbent Democrat Jim Doyle. Last week, Green's gubernatorial campaign said graphic design work by Grant was paid for separately by Green's campaign and that Green assumed Grant was working outside of the state office. Grant, however, said Graul communicated with him about the campaign at the ARC office.

It is hard to keep track of the players without a scorecard, but Mark Graul, who was a Green Assembly staffer, is now his campaign manager in the governor's race. He also has served as chief of staff in Green's Congressional office, where he was befriended by associates of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and accepted freebies to Abramoff's skybox.

The Democratic Party asks another pertinent question: Given testimony at Jensen's trial about Assembly staffers taking part-time leaves while working full-time on campaigns, is Graul one of those who did that? Their release offers some documentation that raises serious questions about it.