April 5, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeal acquitted former state employee Georgia Thompson. The ruling ignited a slew of accusations that U.S. attorneys from Wisconsin are part of the growing U.S. attorney scandal.
In November 2006, The Milwaukee District Court convicted Thompson of fraud for giving a state travel contract to a group that donated funds to Gov. Jim Doyle's campaign. The court sentenced her to federal prison in Illinois.
The circuit court that acquitted Thompson cited extreme lack of evidence. State officials and media outlets have accused U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic of prosecuting Thompson solely to attack Doyle in his 2006 election against Republican Mark Green.
""I have to say it strikes me that your evidence is beyond thin,"" federal Appeals Judge Diane Wood said at the hearing. ""I'm not sure what your actual theory in this case is.""
We agree with the court's decision to acquit Thompson. Not only did she spend unnecessary time in prison, but she faced great damage to her personal life.
According to testimony from Thompson's trial, the travel contract dispute arose while the committee decided whether to award a contract to the group.
It also seems logical that the committee would opt, in the end, to choose an in-state travel agent over a national chain. Although the group donated funds to Doyle's campaign, they did not donate beyond the set $10,000 limit in each election.
Wisconsin state employees should not work in an environment where they fear they will be convicted of a crime merely for carrying out their job.
However, just as we feel there is insufficient evidence to convict Thompson of wrongdoing, we also feel there is insufficient evidence that Biskupic deliberately targeted Thompson to harm Doyle's election campaign.
Even if Biskupic pushed beyond his role as case prosecutor, it would be hard to prove that he influenced the jury. If the jury convicted, they had to have confidence beyond reasonable doubt that Thompson had acted illegally.
Given the recent national U.S. attorney scandal, however, we agree with U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, that it is appropriate the incident should be investigated to the fullest extent.
As the world of campaign finance becomes increasingly muddled, it is important for U.S. Attorneys to prosecute violators to the fullest extent. However, especially with the actions of U.S. Attorneys nationwide under such scrutiny, we feel that Biskupic needs to explain his seemingly hasty actions to prosecute a woman who the courts later deemed innocent.
