A 20-month long "John Doe" investigation by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office has resulted in several charges filed against former and current aides of Gov. Scott Walker during his time as Milwaukee County Executive.
The investigation uncovered four former Walker staffers that were involved in charges ranging from alleged embezzlement, illegal fundraising and avoidance of campaign laws.
Walker spoke publically about the charges for the first time Friday at Tool Service Corp. in Wauwatosa, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article. He said he has "every confidence that when this is completed, people will see that our integrity remains intact."
Timothy Russell, former Walker deputy chief of staff, and Kevin Kavanaugh, former county veterans official, were charged on Jan. 5 with embezzling more than $60,000 from Operation Freedom, an annual charity picnic that honors veterans and their families at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
Russell allegedly used the stolen money to fund vacations with his domestic partner, Brian Pierick. Pierick was charged with child enticement following the district attourney's investigation of Russell.
In addition to those charges, District Attorney John Chisholm announced two more criminal complaints on Jan. 26.
Darlene Wink was charged with two misdemeanor counts of using county resources to raise funds for Walker's 2010 gubernatorial campaign while working as the constituent services coordinator for then-County Executive Walker.
Wink was asked to resign in May 2010 after facing allegations she was participating in planning fundraising events for the 2010 Walker campaign and using work time to post pro-Walker comments on JSOnline.
Following Wink's resignation, Walker sent an email to a top aide, which read, "We cannot afford another story like this one. No one can give them any reason to do another story. That means no laptops, no websites, no time away during the work day, etc."
Kelly Rindfleisch, former Walker chief of staff, was also charged Jan. 26 with four felony counts of misconduct in public office.
The investigation into campaign work done by Rindfleisch and Wink revealed a secret wireless Internet network within the county executive's office, exposing thousands of fundraising emails and instant messaging chats to Walker campaign staff during regular work hours.
Some are questioning Walker's management skills and judgment following these charges.
"Scott Walker has run his administrations in great secrecy," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said. "Now, he owes the people of Wisconsin an explanation for his role in these alleged bad acts."
