A spread in Dallas Magazine described NL Industries as having blatant disregard for its dumping of toxic waste, even though much of this dumping came before Simmons owned the company and many of the sites (most specifically Ferdinand, OH) took years for NL to even begin cleanup. Still, they claim Simmons has dumped on sites on the EPAa€™s National Priorities List, most notoriously through political maneuvering in the Texas Legislature. In a 2006 interview Simmons stated a€reWe first had to change the law (in Austin) to where a private company can own a license [to handle radioactive waste], and we did that. Then we got another law passed that said they can only issue one license. Of course, we were the only ones that applied.a€0 Most recently (July 2009), he paid out $178.1 million to a plaintiff (minority shareholders in an NL subsidiary) who a€reclaimed that NL had improperly stripped the subsidiary of its assets and reduced the value of their shares tenfold.a€0 Simmons has been fined and continuously targeted by the Federal Election Commission and also attempted a high profile hostile takeover of Gehl Industries in West Bend.

Most politicians would run away screaming from a guy like Mr. Simmons. He pollutes the environment, screws over unions and stockholders, has been fined by the FEC, and has bought off the Texas legislature. But not Scott Walker: he embraced this man. Mr. Simmons must have liked Walker, as he donated $750,000 to the Wisconsin Club for Growth. He did not do this out of the kindness of his heart. This was pay for play—NL Industries, formerly known and National Lead Industries, got legislation passed in the Wisconsin legislature that would exempt lead manufacturers from any compensation claims for lead paint poisoning. Thankfully, the federal courts stepped in and blocked much of this law, leaving NL Industries on the hook for lawsuits filed against them.

That is not the only thing in the leaked John Doe documents that is damning. There are documents about the re-election of David Prosser to the Wisconsin Supreme Court—a court that is supposed to be nonpartisan. However, thanks to Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, it has become little more than a rubber stamp for the WMC agenda. Of course, Americans For Prosperity had no intention of allowing Justice Prosser to lose his race. In an email dated March 3, 2011, Matt Seaholm, Wisconsin Director of Americans For Prosperity, sent an email to Tim Phillips, the national director of AFP.

If they take it to a court with Joanne Kloppenberg, a liberal, on it, they will win. This could stop everything that Walker is trying to accomplish and they know it. Goes without saying, that would be a bad thing.

Again, the Wisconsin Supreme Court is supposed to be nonpartisan. By statute, Justice Prosser and his opponent could only spend $400,000 each on their campaigns to be elected. Right-wing groups, in collusion with Walker and his cohorts, spent more than $3.5 million on his behalf. Prosser won his election, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court was effectively purchased by the highest bidder.

Gov. Walker cannot claim that he did not collude with third-party groups, something that was illegal in Wisconsin until the Republican legislature changed the law after the John Doe investigation began. On May 4, 2011, Walker sent an email from his Blackberry to none other than Karl Rove.

Good talking with you this afternoon. Had a good discussion with a bout 25 people tonight about our recall elections and our message. It will be tough but we can (and will) hold our majority in the state Senate. After our meeting, I had a good chat with RJ*. Because of his financial position, he is not taking a cut of the funds being used for Club for Growth - Wisconsin.

“RJ” is not Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI). RJ is a political strategist in Wisconsin. What Walker did was illegal at the time. Of course the Republican-led legislature and corporate-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court have worked together to first rule that Walker did not illegally coordinate with third-party groups when he clearly did, and then pass legislation to make what Walker did legal.

The proposal would ban candidates from coordinating with outside groups on express advocacy — calls to vote "for or against" a candidate — but would place no restrictions on coordination on issue advocacy. Issue advocacy avoids telling voters to elect or defeat a candidate and instead focuses on a candidate's policies. The state Supreme Court ruled in July that kind of coordination is legal, as a matter of free speech.