Goo-goo McCabe: Hang 'em first, then try 'em

I should be getting used to Chief Goo-Goo Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign setting himself up as prosecutor, judge and jury, but sometimes it still sets me back.

Like this quote in a Wisconsin State Journal story about the trial of a state employee over the awarding of a state travel contract:

"I'd be surprised if it ended with Georgia Thompson, given what I know about the scope of the investigation," said Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

Contrast that with:

Frank Tuerkheimer, a UW- Madison Law School professor and former federal prosecutor, said while he has seen defendants plead guilty on the eve of a trial, agreements to testify against others - what he calls "investigative plea bargains" - are usually reached far earlier in the process.

"The very fact that there's a trial tells me that whatever pressure has been brought against her to name names hasn't worked," Tuerkheimer said. "I would infer that there are no names to name."