Right wing-nuts "selective prosecution"

So Scooter's lame "selective prosecution" defense fell down. It was really just the sort of sleazy, scorched earth attack that we have all grown to expect from Jensen.

But it will all be coming to a crashing end for the Harvard educated boy named Scooter as it seems likely that he will take off the tough guy costume and make a deal that will probably result in a felony conviction. Then it's all over for Scooter living off the taxpayer dole, as he has nearly his whole life. Welcome to the real world.

In their hysterical zeal to defend Scooter, the RWB (Right wing blogsphere) and Milwaukee talk radio have set a standard that only they can make sure doesn't become one of those "double standards" that they are always talking about.

The McSykes crowd will have everyone believe that if someone was interviewed by investigators in the Caucus Scandal; if you cooperated with the investigation; and if you were charged with no wrong doing--You are guilty.

As it was with their coordinated attack on Rich Judge, the McSykes crowd set a standard for themselves in suggesting that the Doyle campaign should not have hired him as their campaign manager since he was asked and answered investigators questions.

The right wing-nuts suggest that if you were a part of the caucus scandal, even as a cooperating witness who was charged with no wrong doing, you have no place working on campaigns.

O.K., let the games begin. Let's test their standard.

William Cosh is an Assembly staffer for Rep. Dan Meyer. Cosh was interviewed by investigators in the Caucus Scandal and his testimony shows he engaged in campaigning on state time. His testimony also implicates Jensen in what he has been charged with.

This is from the complaint charging Jensen.

"Cosh worked at the ARC from March 27, 2000 to April 2, 2001. Sherry Schultz used a personal laptop computer and was secretive about what she printed out at the ARC. Schultz worked with legislators to help them coordinate fundraisers,including working on invitations, event sponsors, and donor lists. On about 5-10 occasions, when he worked at the ARC, Cosh assisted Schultz in making calls from the ARC to persons on donor lists. Cosh described these as follow-up calls to potential donors who had received written solicitations. Schultz provided Cosh with the donor list and the written solicitation. Cosh then made the calls, approximately 30-40 a night, and reported back to Schultz on the results of the calls.

Cosh also assisted Schultz with fundraising mailings at the ARC office. It was Schultz's responsibility to get materials together, make sure the items were printed out correctly, and then stuffed and mailed out. Cosh also assisted Schultz in setting up fundraising events. Schultz told Cosh that she called legislators and requested that they donate certain amounts from their campaign funds to the campaign funds of other legislators who were in greater need. Cosh is unaware of any policy or legislation areas Schultz worked on during the time she was located at the ARC. Schultz told Cosh that Schultz attended Assembly leadership meetings involving fundraising, fundraising goals and specific races.

Schultz told Cosh that Jensen wanted her to make fundraising calls, raise money for specific races, and call lobbyists and legislators for specific races or candidates. Schultz also told Cosh that she discussed specific contribution checks received involving unusual amounts with Jensen. At the end of the 2000 election cycle, Schultz told Cosh that when lobbyists submitted contribution checks for a specific dollar amount but with no payee, Schultz and Jensen would decide who the payee would be and write in that campaign's name on a given check."

In the 2004 election cycle, while he was working for Rep. Meyer in the capitol, Cosh was running Rep. Mary Williams campaign. I assume he took an unpaid "leave" to do so but we'll get to that in little bit.

According to Campaign Finance Reports filed with the State Elections Board. Rep. Williams campaign made payments to Cosh for work on her campaign over a four month period-- September to December 2004.

Rep. Williams campaign payments to Cosh

9/6/04
William A. Cosh - parade giveaway materials $201.87
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

9/21/04
William A. Cosh - reimbursement for postage $138.00
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

9/22/04
William A. Cosh - postage $80.50
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

10/8/04
William A. Cosh - postage & radio buy $247.25
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

10/25/04
William A. Cosh - postage, fuel & lodging $272.46
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

10/27/04
William A. Cosh - reimbursement postage $38.33
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

10/29/04
William A. Cosh - Quick Print reimbursement $63.83
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

11/1/04
William A. Cosh - reimbursement for travel $105.12
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

11/8/04
William A. Cosh - reimbursement for mileage $1,500.00
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

12/27/04
William A. Cosh - reimbursement for mileage $500.00
509 N. Lake St. Apt. 202
Madison WI 53703

You will notice there were no payments for salary made by the Williams campaign to Cosh. Again, I assume he wasn't being paid by Rep. Meyer with taxpayer funds. So how does a lowly Assembly staffer make a living when he takes a "leave."

Well, the Republican Party of Wisconsin (RPW) started making "payroll" disbursements to Cosh in September and every 2 weeks throughout the 2004 election cycle he received his campaign paycheck, as did a large number of other Assembly staffers who were part of the caucus investigation, who were working on campaigns in 2004, and who may have been "on leave" from their capitol jobs. The Williams campaign would then make payments to the RPW to cover for Cosh's "staff salary."

Payments from RPW to Cosh

09/15/2004
William A Cosh,509 N Lake St Apt 202,Madison,WI,53703,Payroll,"$1,182.96 "

9/15/2004
William A Cosh,509 N Lake St Apt 202,Madison,WI,53703,Payroll,"$1,540.18

Williams campaign payments to RPW

11/1/04
Republican Party of Wisconsin -- Staff Salaries $10,000.00
PO Box 31
Madison WI 53701

12/30/04
Republican Party of Wisconsin -- Staff Salaries $6,218.18
PO Box 31
Madison WI 53701

To take a page out McSykes playbook. Did Rep. Williams know that Cosh had previously admitted to campaigning on state time? Did she know that he was questioned by investigators about his and Rep. Jensen's role in the caucus scandal? The above mentioned, public complaint was widely available 2 years before she ran for office and had Cosh working on her campaign. Didn't she read the complaint?

Was the effort to place Assembly staffers on the RPW payroll really all about trying to hide the fact that Capitol staffers, who were involved in the caucus scandal, were continuing to play paid roles in 2004 GOP Assembly campaigns?

And perhaps the biggest question for the McSykes crowd, and in particular for Paul Bucher. Who was paying for the health insurance of these Assembly staffers while they were "on leave" from their capitol jobs and working on campaigns?

The William's campaign wasn't paying for any health care coverage. Was the RPW paying for the health care of all these Capitol staffers "on leave." Or were Wisconsin taxpayers paying for the health care coverage of GOP campaign workers?

Let's see if the RWB and Milwaukee talk radio has been spending the last week selectively prosecuting Rich Judge and there is a double standard, or will they hold there own to the same standards.

If you placed any bets on the Super Bowl, this is a much better bet.