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Madison — The state's elections board sought Friday to intervene in complex litigation over a secret investigation into Gov. Scott Walker's allies that centers on campaign finance law.

The Government Accountability Board asked the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to let it into the case so it can spell out its beliefs about what campaign activity can be regulated.

Working with the board, prosecutors opened a secret investigation into conservative groups that supported Walker and other Republicans in the 2011 and 2012 recall elections, believing they may have illegally worked with candidates instead of operating independently.

The Wisconsin Club for Growth and one of its directors sued in federal court in February, saying the probe violated their rights to free speech. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa in Milwaukee agreed in May and halted the probe.

Prosecutors have appealed, and the accountability board is now asking to intervene in the case. The board agrees with prosecutors' interpretation of campaign finance law, an attorney for the board told the court in its filing.

Randa has agreed with the Wisconsin Club for Growth that its activities do not violate campaign law because the group's ads do not outright tell people to vote for or against candidates, though they do promote and denigrate candidates. Prosecutors and the accountability board contend such activities can be subjected to regulation if they are coordinated with candidates.

Regardless of what the appeals court does, the accountability board could get pulled into the litigation in another way. The Wisconsin Club for Growth last month asked Randa to allow it to amend its lawsuit to include the director and six members of the accountability board.

In all, there are five pieces of litigation connected to the investigation, and three of them were brought by the Wisconsin Club for Growth. In one of those cases, the club has asked a Waukesha County judge to order the accountability board to not participate in the probe.