Dane County Circuit Court Judge Richard Niess ordered the state Department of Justice to release training videos of Republican attorney general candidate Brad Schimel on Thursday.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin prompted the decision by requesting the release of five videos featuring Schimel over the last several years. Democrats claim the videos show Schimel engaging in misconduct while carrying out a training exercise on how to apprehend and prosecute sexual predators.
The DOJ said it could only find recordings of two of the training sessions. Niess, after viewing the two available videos, claimed there was no misconduct on behalf of Schimel. He also found no justification for withholding the tapes from the public.
“In my judgment there’s no reason the public should not know the contents of these tapes,” Niess said, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Schimel claimed releasing the videos would undermine public safety.
“I believe giving defense attorneys and predators our playbook would put public safety at risk,” Schimel said in an email. “Shame on Susan Happ’s allies who are willing to jeopardize public safety for politics.”
Josh Lease, one of Happ’s campaign managers, was more concerned with the three missing training session videos.
“There is reason to believe those are the ones with the most damaging footage of Schimel's presentations, and now they have mysteriously disappeared,” Lease said in an email.
Niess stayed his ruling until Friday, allowing time for the DOJ to appeal, as Assistant Attorney General Anthony Russomanno said they would.
If the DOJ appeals, Niess indicated he would reevaluate the issue Monday, one day before the election.
