Gov. Scott Walker addressed past and present state issues in an interview with the Associated Press Monday, including his response to developments in the John Doe investigation and potential mining legislation.
Walker, who has not been named as a subject in the investigation, said during the interview he is “absolutely” confident he will not be investigated in connection with the John Doe probe, which began in 2010.
The probe has investigated multiple former aides to Walker during his tenure as Milwaukee County Executive for illegal political campaigning done while on the county’s payroll.
Most recently, Kelly Rindfleisch, Walker’s former deputy chief of staff, was sentenced to six months in jail after she pleaded guilty to felony misconduct for helping with Brett Davis’ 2010 lieutenant governor race while working for the county.
Prosecutors introduced emails between Walker’s county and gubernatorial campaign staff as evidence during Rindfleisch’s sentencing hearing last week. Walker, who maintains he had no knowledge of the illegal campaign work being carried out in his office, said the emails were routine communication between his county and campaign staffs at the time.
Walker also addressed the possibility of new mining legislation that would streamline the permit process for mining companies, saying in the interview that he is confident the Republican-controlled state legislature will be able to pass the legislation by next year. He said he would sign new mining legislation as long as it did not have an adverse effect on the environment.
In addition, Walker said he would consider a change to the 15-year-old “moratorium” on mines that produce polluting acids, barring any negative effects on agriculture and tourism in the state.
