Livelihood threatened, Jensen appeals

Scott Jensen is appealing his conviction for Capitol corruption, and wants to stay out of jail while the appeal drags on, WisPolitics reports.

Jensen, who already has managed to drag things out for three and a half years -- he was charged in October, 2002 -- clearly will fight to the bitter end. If there is a way to get to the US Supreme Court, he and lawyer Bob Friebert will be there, knocking on the door, five years from now.

Why did he wait until now, four days before his scheduled sentencing on Tuesday?

It may be that he was waiting to see what kind of sentence he was likely to get.

When Dane County DA Brian Blanchard recommended a prison term and that Jensen be banned from the State Capitol for five years, that threatened Jensen's livelihood. Jensen has had a sideline as a political consultant, in addition to his legislative salary.

Jensen listed income from political consulting firm R.J. Johnson & Associates in 2005 on his Statement of Economic Interests filed with the state Ethics Board, according to a WisPolitics review, but Johnson said Scooter does not work for his firm in 2006 and he does not expect him to do so in the future.

Since 2004, Jensen has worked for the national Alliance for School Choice, promoting choice around the country, and that group says it will continue to employ Jensen. Milwaukee school choice advocates George and Susan Mitchell and Howard Fuller were among 59 people who wrote letters of support to the judge before the anticipated sentencing on Tuesday. So was Tommy Thompson, who said Jensen's a hard-working family man.