Walker admits failure to report donations

We told you this morning that something appeared to be missing in Scott Walker's campaign finance report.

What do you do when you're caught red-handed? Fess up, of course. WKOW-TV in Madison reports:

Walker Campaign Admits Mistakes

Scott Walker's gubernatorial campaign may be fined after a campaign official admitted there were mistakes in a required campaign finance report.
.
Campaign official John Hiller's admission that several in-kind contributions to the Walker campaign were not reported as required came one day after 27 News revealed the Walker campaign's failure to disclose information on a Kohl Center fundraiser.

Before he quit the race for governor, Walker, a Republican and Milwaukee County Executive, invited supporters to donate $2,000 to his campaign to snare courtside seats, at the sold out, February Wisconsin-Ohio State basketball game.

At the time, Walker campaign officials refused to reveal who donated the tickets.

A 27 News review of Walker's campaign finance report also listed no ticket donors.

"We will ask them to get us the complete information," State Elections Board Executive Director Kevin Kennedy told 27 News.

"Your news story already generated a phone call from the Walker campaign to our office, that indicated to us that when they were wrapping up their campaign, they boxed things up and pointed out, it's harder to track in-kind contributions than other contributions because no money changes hands."

Kennedy said Walker campaign officials plan to file an amendment to their campaign finance report. Hiller told 27 News problems with computer software and a lack of campaign staff accounted for the failure to include required information.

Kennedy said the Walker campaign faces a possible fine of $100 plus a percentage of the worth of the undeclared in-kind contributions.

Kennedy said a Walker campaign official claimed no one donated to get a courtside seat, although a Walker supporter told 27 News just the opposite in February.

Sloppiness or incompetence is always a bad defense from someone who wants the public to elect him to an executive job. But it beats saying, "We were hoping no one would notice."

UPDATE: Failure to follow the rules and report properly is just the same old same old for Scott Walker, Gretchen Schuldt says.