Payback for Jensen recommendation?

This from Madison's WKOW-TV:

Payback Alleged

Democrats smell "payback," as Republicans hold up money which would help Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard.

A state lawmaker anonymously objected to funds for a part-time Assistant D.A. position right after Blanchard proposed sending former Republican leader Scott Jensen to prison.

Blanchard's recommendation of up to twenty months in prison for Jensen as punishment for three felony convictions of political corruption was submitted to a court May 9.

A lawmaker objected to Blanchard's proposed continuation of funding for the Assistant District Attorney position on May 9.

May 9 was last day available to object to the proposal. Lawmakers on the state's budget committee, Joint Finance, could have objected to the spending anytime after April 20.

Democratic Joint Finance Committee member, Rep. Marc Pocan (D-Madison) does not believe there was a policy or fiscal reason to hold up the funds.

"Why is that it just happened to be made the day Brian Blanchard requested twenty months in prison for Scott Jensen?"

"No one wants to take credit for it," Pocan told 27 News.

Pocan said Joint Finance Committee members were informed the objection came from an Assembly Republican.

The Assembly Republicans on the Committee are Co-Chairman Dean Kaufert, Mark Gottlieb, Dan Meyer, Kitty Rhoades, Jeff Stone, and David Ward.

None of them were available for comment when attempts to reach them were made at their offices or homes by 27 News.

The $41,000 funding proposal does involve state officials replacing the position's former federal funding source with money from a different federal grant.

The Assistant District Attorney paid with this money tracks the Dane County juvenile justice system's treatment of minority youth and recommends measures to decrease the comparatively high rate of minority youth incarceration.

Blanchard said he's willing to justify the continued committment of money. "No one from the legislature has ever raised any questions to date," said Blanchard.

Jensen was convicted in a political corruption scandal, which also led to felony convictions for two former Democratic lawmakers.

But those lawmakers received jail sentences in plea bargains, and some Republicans have accused Blanchard, a Democrat, of political motivations in recommending harsher treatment for Jensen.

Jensen went to trial and was convicted by a jury.

Jensen has asked the court to consider a jail term instead of Blanchard's recommended prison sentence. Jensen is sentenced May 16.

All members of Joint Finance will have to make a public, final decision on the Assstant D.A. funding proposal later this spring.