The Governor of the National Socialist State of Fitzwalkerstan is right in the middle of another scandal. Nope! Not that kind. No self-respecting hooker would touch him. Looks like Walker got his hands on some dirty money. John Nichols has the story:

…[Bill] Gardner was so enthusiastic in his support of Walker that he promised in an email to the then-candidate: “I will do everything I can do to get you in the Governor’s Mansion.”

Gardner proved to be a man of his word. He raised tens of thousands for Walker. In addition to his own substantial contributions, his employees and family members coughed up a stack of checks for $5,000 each.

It now turns out that the money was given illegally.

Following an investigation that began last year—when a former female “friend” of Gardner contacted law-enforcement officials—the rail company president has agreed to plead guilty to two felony counts stemming from a money-laundering scheme Gardner initiated on Walker’s behalf, and Wisconsin & Southern has paid a civil forfeiture of $166,900. Under the plea deal, Gardner is expected to avoid jail time but serve two years probation. Additionally, seven Wisconsin & Southern employees will pay $250 fines.

That’s the “single largest forfeiture ever paid to the Government Accountability Board (GAB) or to either of its predecessor agencies, the State Elections Board or the State Ethics Board,” says GAB director Kevin Kennedy.

How did the money-laundering scheme work?

According to the criminal complaint, Gardner’s own donations exceeded the state’s $10,000 limit for contributions to a gubernatorial candidate. And Gardner also asked employees to make $5,000 contributions to Walker’s campaign, he then reimbursed them himself and the employees with company money.

It is against the law in Wisconsin for a donor to make political contributions in another person’s name. It is, as well, against the law for corporations to make political contributions.

In the early stages of the investigation, the Walker campaign returned $44,800 to Gardner. That wasn’t the first time a Walker campaign has had to move money back to Gardner; when Walker was considering a 2006 gubernatorial run, his campaign had to return a $5,000 check that had been illegally given.

But this scandal is much more serious.

“The forfeiture reflects the size and scope of the money laundering scheme engineered by Mr. Gardner,” says the GAB’s Kennedy. “The railroad’s employees, while violating the law, had little choice after Mr. Gardner personally asked them to make the contributions with a promise of reimbursement.”

Yet, despite the scandal—indeed, despite the fact that the investigation goes back almost a year and that Walker’s campaign was forced to return almost $50,000 in illegal contributions to Gardner months ago—the governor and his aides keep making decisions that benefit his longtime, and very enthusiastic, donor… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <The Nation>

Ed Schultz interviewed the author to fill in the details.

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