Scott Walker is currently the national finance chair of the The National Republican Redistricting Trust, the national honorary chair of the Center for State-led National Debt Solutions's Balanced Budget Amendment Campaign, and a podcast host. Walker is the former Republican Governor of Wisconsin. He was defeated in his 2018 bid for re-election. In February 2011, Walker eliminated collective bargaining rights for most public employees putting an end to 50 years of Wisconsin law and tradition. He also proposed steep cuts to the state budget. These changes prompted massive protests which received national and international coverage.

In 2016, Walker ran for president of the United States, but quit before the primary.

News and Controversies

"Scottwalker.com" and "You Can't Recall Courage"

On June 21, 2019, Walker tweeted out links to the inaugural episode of a podcast which he tweeted was about how "[Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] wants a raise, while the US debt skyrockets & WI Dema [sic] push for higher taxes while they can’t pay their own" and the website Scottwalker.com. The podcast is titled "You Can't Recall Courage."[1] The website includes a narrative about Walker's impact on Wisconsin and a sign-up for an email list.[2] Scottwalker.com is registered to Scott Walker's Campaign Committee.[3]





Chairman Positions Announced in March of 2019

Walker joined two groups in March of 2019: The National Republican Redistricting Trust (NRRT) as the national finance chair[4]and the Center for State-led National Debt Solutions's Balanced Budget Amendment Campaign (BBAC) as national honorary chair.[5][6]

Walker's job at NRRT is to raise money for court battles over political maps. "Walker made clear that he sees redistricting as a fight that could tilt the next decade of national politics" saying that he saw that "first hand."[4] There is currently a case set to go before the Supreme Court in July of 2019 about what was once ruled to be an "unconstitutional partisan gerrymander" that took place under Walker's tenure.[7]

According to Matthew Rothschild of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, "corporate interests" including the Koch brothers back BBAC. For them, "tying the hands of government is a great thing. It means there would be less money for government regulation, so that corporations could pollute our environment with impunity, and break the labor laws with impunity, and engage in financial fraud with impunity. Which makes it a perfect job for Walker."[6]

"Back in the news" for meeting with alleged Russian spy

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign published a data set in early February 2019 asserting that Walker received $1.75 million from a company with ties to Russian oligarchs, 250,000 of which went to the "Our American Revival" fund -- a group supporting Walker's 2016 bid for the presidency. The quarter-million-dollar donation came "just days" after Walker's meeting with an alleged Russian spy, Maria Butina. According to Joanna Beilman-Dulin of Onew Wisconsin Now, "The timing of this quarter-million dollar contribution sure looks like Scott Walker’s non-meeting meant something to somebody.”[8]

2018 Gubernatorial Election

Loss to Tony Evers

Walker conceded to State School Superintendent Tony Evers on November 7 2018, after serving as Wisconsin's chief executive for two terms.[9]

According to CMD's Mary Bottari, the end of Walker's enure may lead to the end of "Wisconsin’s role as a national petri dish for right-wing policies promulgated by the Koch brothers and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), including austerity budgeting, union-busting, voter ID and the systematic denial of Medicaid assistance to the state’s residents."[10]

$9.2 million dollars in TV ads

From August to October, Walker and like-minded groups spent $9.2 million on broadcast TV advertising, making Walker "much better funded than [his Democratic opponent] Evers." $5.4 million came from outside GOP groups, with "most active GOP group," Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, spending $2.6 million. According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the outside spending breakdown is as follows:[11]

Walker's Frequent Flights

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Walker took 322 taxpayer-funded flights in 2017. In 2016, he took 351. Those flights took place while Walker was campaigning for president in 2016, and then as his re-election campaign for Governor approaches in late-2018. "He held dozens of invite-only feedback sessions with local officials and residents, met with local news outlets and toured schools, health care facilities and businesses." Yet few of the flights, "only about a dozen" in 2016/2017, were reimbursed by the campaign. One Wisconsin Now, the advocacy group which first reported the frequency of Walker's flights, claims that Walker is subsidizing his political activities using public funds.[12]

“I don’t see how the governor can fly to the Green Bay media market each of the six days leading up to a special election where his party is defending a seat it’s held since 1977 and claim none of it is campaign[-]related,” One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross said. “After 25 years in office, Scott Walker has become the most dangerous kind of politician, the one who thinks he’s entitled to use our tax dollars for whatever he wants.”[12]

Criticism from Former Aides

Walker's former Secretary of the Department of Transportation alleges that the governor boss is not telling the truth about road projects, according to the Associated Press.[13] Mark Gottlieb, a Republican appointed by Walker himself, told The Cap Times, “We got to a place where the facts were being ignored in favor of political spin." Gottlieb claims that Walker has been spreading untrue information about how choices are made about which transportation projects are funded by the state.[13]

According to his former Financial Institutions secretary, Gov. Walker has instructed his subordinates to "avoid creating electronic records," in order to not create any material which would have to be turned over in a public records request. The former Walker aide, Peter Bildsten, told the Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, “I thought Scott Walker was different, but he’s just another politician looking out for himself.” Bildsten's claims are substantiated by another "former top aide to Walker" according to the Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.[14]

In a book, Former state Department of Corrections Secretary Ed Wall alleges that Walker and Attorney General Brad Schimel intentionally neglected to see through an investigation into inmate abuse at Wisconsin's youth prisons. Wall claims that he asked Schimel and Walker for more resources for the investigation, but was repeatedly denied. Walker has said he sees "no value" in visiting state prisons. Walker and Schimel's offices deny Wall's allegations.[15]

Campaign Fundraising

Walker raised 5.5 million dollars in the first half of 2018.[16] In addition to that he had raised 7.2 million dollars in the year of 2017.[17] Historically, much of the money Walker has received has come from "Retired/Homemakers/Non-Income earning" people.[18]

One out of every three dollars Walker raised in 2017 came from an out of state donor. Individuals giving directly to Walker include Reince Priebus who gave $2,000, Walter W. Buckley, Richard Colburn, Brian Follett, Edward Levy Barry MacLean, Timothy J. Roberts, Chicago and Diane Smith who all gave the maximum legal amount of $20,000.[19]

According to The Milwaukee State Journal, The Koch Brothers announced a plan in early 2018 to help finance Walker's campaign.[20]

In April 2018, the Republican Governors Assoication promised to spend $5.1 million of television ads for Walker.[21]

According to One Wisconsin Now, Scott Walker has raised $100 million for his gubernatorial campaigns over the past 25 years. “No Wisconsin politician has raised more campaign cash for himself or been more willing to sell us out for a campaign contribution than Scott Walker. Scott Walker is the literal poster child for obscene campaign spending,” Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now Scot Ross said.[22]

2015 Photo with Alleged Russian Spy

Scott Walker with Maria Butina

In July of 2018, Maria Butina was charged with as a "covert Russian agent" working for the Kremlin to gather "intelligence on American officials and political organizations and worked to establish back-channel lines of communications," according to the Associated Press. A photo of Walker and Butina with Alexander Torshin Butina, deputy head of the Russian Central Bank and her alleged handler, at a National Rifle Association convention in 2015 emerged, sparking controversy. Walker maintains that the interaction was just a photo-op, but some decry a more nefarious story line.[23]

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross said about the photo that the NRA donations precluding the photo were also important. "The $3.5 million that (the NRA) doled out to support Scott Walker since then paved the way not only for him to spend 25 years in public office but also for an accused Russian spy to gain personal access to him.”[24]

As more information came to light, such as data by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, reports assert that Walker received $1.75 million from a company with ties to Russian oligarchs, 250,000 of which went to a fund supporting Walker's 2016 bid for the presidency. That donation came "just days" after Walker's meeting with Butina. According to Joanna Beilman-Dulin of Onew Wisconsin Now, "The timing of this quarter-million dollar contribution sure looks like Scott Walker’s non-meeting meant something to somebody.”[8]

4 Billion Dollar Foxconn Deal

Alongside President Trump, Governor Walker unveiled a plan to bring factory of the Taiwanese tech giant, Foxconn to Eau Claire and Milwaukee. Walker and Foxconn say that the factories will bring as much as 10 million dollars into the Wisconsin economy and create thousands of jobs. Humans rights, environmentalist, and budget watchers object to the plan on the grounds that Foxconn is infamous for employee suicides,[25] river pollution,[26] and expecting tax incentives.[27]

On Thursday, June 28, Walker was joined by Trump and the CEO of Foxconn in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin for a groundbreaking ceremony for the factory. Estimates say that it took $4.5 billion dollars in incentives to bring Foxconn to Wisconsin.[28]

"This will make us a brain gain state, not a brain drain state," Walker said of the deal.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

Walker's 2018 Reelection Team

On November 1, 2017, the core of Walker's reelection team was released to the public. The AP reports that the team includes:[29]

Michael Grebe, Campaign Chairman

Jon Hammes, Campaign Finance Chairman

R.J. Johnson, Senior Strategic Advisor

Keith Gilkes, Consultant

Joe Fadness, Campaign Manager

Brian Reisinger, Advisor

The Guardian Releases 1,500 Leaked Documents Relating to Walker's Second "John Doe" Investigation

On September 14, 2016 The Guardian released a cache of 1,500 pages of leaked court documents and emails related to the "John Doe II" investigation surrounding Scott Walker. The leaked documents shed new light on how Governor Scott Walker, his top advisors and allies evaded Wisconsin’s campaign finance system to win his recall election, and to maintain Republican control of the Wisconsin State Senate during the tumultuous recall period of 2011 and 2012. The strategies pursued and measures taken were unprecedented in the State of Wisconsin and sparked a criminal investigation by a bipartisan group of prosecutors.

The documents released by the Guardian indicate that Walker may have solicited and received corporate checks for the 2011 Senate recall fight and his own 2012 recall election, sparking a complaint by members of the Wisconsin legislature.

2016 Presidential Race

Walker Endorses Ted Cruz for President

Walker - Ted Cruz for President TV Ad

Walker officially endorsed Ted Cruz on March 29, 2016, a week before the Wisconsin primary election. Speaking on the talk show of radio host Charlie Sykes, Walker called Cruz "the best positioned by far" to beat Donald Trump in the Republican primary race.[30] Walker also appeared in a TV ad supporting Cruz.

Although he endorsed Cruz, Walker has previously suggested that the eventual GOP nominee may be someone who is currently not running, according to the Capitol Times: "'I think if it’s an open convention, it’s very likely it would be someone who’s not currently running,' Walker told reporters last Thursday."[31]

Walker Ends 2016 Presidential Run

On September 21, 2015, Walker quit his quest for President of the United States.[32] In his speech, Walker said that he was suspending his campaign "so that a positive, conservative message can rise to the top of the field."[32] He also urged other candidates to follow his lead "so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive, conservative alternative to the current front-runner (Donald Trump)."[32] Walker was polling at 0% in the CNN/ORC released on September 20, 2015.[33] In an interview with Politico, Walker's campaign manager Rick Wiley stated that the campaign had a "huge revenue problem," which heavily influenced Walker's decision.[34] According to Wiley, the campaign had about $1 million in cash but owed $800,000, and fundraising “was like grinding to a halt.”[34]

Politico also reported that the Unintimidated PAC was preparing to take over the major operations of the campaign upon knowing of the growing revenue problem,

"In the meantime, at the super PAC supporting Walker, Unintimidated PAC, top officials were preparing something revolutionary. Keith Gilkes, a former Walker chief of staff who was a leader of the super PAC, was legally barred from coordinating with the campaign. But in August, he began asking donors pointed questions about the campaign’s finances. He concluded that the situation was dire. The super PAC, which had about $20 million available, looked into hiring field staffers in South Carolina and other early states — preparing to take over many communications and political functions from the campaign, rather than staying in the traditional role of running TV ads."[34]

Walker Believes There are Only a 'Handful Of Reasonable, Moderate Followers Of Islam'

Q and A: Scott Walker says there are only a "handful of reasonable, moderate followers of Islam"

In a Q&A session with veterans in Derby, NH on August 21, 2015, Walker claimed that the majority of muslims in the world share the radical beliefs of terrorists. In answering a question on the war terror and the way it is characterized by the Obama administration, Walker said,

"It is a war against not only America and Israel, it's a war against Christians, it's a war against Jews, it's a war against even the handful of reasonable, moderate followers of Islam who don't share the radical beliefs that these radical Islamic terrorists have."[35]

If Elected President, Walker will Repeal Affordable Care Act on Day 1

Repeal and Replace

On August 18, 2015 in an opinion piece for the USA Today, Walker announced that if elected to the US Presidency, he would repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on his first day in office.[36] In order to "motivate" members of Congress to pass his repeal, Walker "will sign an executive order removing President Obama’s special deal for Congress, which gives lawmakers subsidies that have exempted them from the same premium increases other Americans have suffered under ObamaCare (the ACA)."[36] Walker will then replace the ACA with his own plan. Walker claims that his plan will keep insurance affordable for Americans with tax credits and health savings accounts but it is not clear how this will work, particularly for those with lower incomes.[37][38]

Walker Follows ALEC Again in Calling for an End to Birthright Citizenship

Following the release of Donald Trump’s immigration plan on August 16, 2015 and the media attention it received, Walker came out publicly in support of Trump’s plan to dismantle the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States." When asked by MSNBC should birthright citizenship be discontinued, Walker replied: “Yeah, to me it's about enforcing the laws in this country. And I've been very clear, I think you enforce the laws, and I think it's important to send a message that we're going to enforce the laws, no matter how people come here we're going to enforce the laws.” [39]

The American Legislative Exchange Council, or “ALEC,” adopted the same policy in a 2008 resolution. The resolution calls on the United States Congress to “enact legislation clarifying the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution as denying citizenship status to children of illegal aliens simply by virtue of their being born in the United States,” although doing so would have no legal effect.

How these candidates would undo 117 years of precedent is unclear: they would either have to amend the constitution, or appoint activist U.S. Supreme Court justices willing to reverse the 1898 court decision that found the constitution guaranteed citizenship to all children born in the United States.[40]

With Milwaukee Bucks Stadium Bill Signing, Walker Shows Support for Corporate Welfare

On August 12, 2015, Walker signed a bill committing $250 million in public funds for a new Milwaukee Bucks arena.[41] He was able to get the bill passed through the legislature despite opposition from both sides of the aisle.[42] State Rep. David Murphy (R) told the Huffington Post, "The Bucks staying in Wisconsin would be very good for this state. But I do have a philosophical objection to seeing taxpayer money go to millionaire basketball players and billionaire team owners.”[43] The Bucks threatened to leave Wisconsin if they did not receive enough funds for the new stadium, what College of Holy Cross sports economist Victor Matheson calls "regular sports extortion".[43]

As many in the media pointed out, the $250 million from the public equals the $250 million in cuts to the University of Wisconsin system.[44]

Jon Hammes, one of Walker's top fundraisers for his 2016 presidential run, is a part-owner of the Bucks.[45]

Club for Growth Stands with Walker

Bloomberg reports that Club for Growth president David McIntosh sent an email to potential donors asking them to contribute to its PAC in support of Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, and Jeb Bush.[46] McIntosh wrote, “Five candidates are at the forefront of the Republican presidential field on issues of economic freedom, and the Club for Growth PAC is standing with them to help them stand out from the rest."[46]

Walker Wins Koch Donor Straw Poll

In a closed-door meeting of around 100 conservative donors at the Koch summit in Orange County, CA from August 1-3, 2015, Politico reports that Walker won a straw poll led by Republican pollster Frank Luntz.[47] According to the report, "While Luntz did not formally track or announce the results, sources say it was clear that Walker got the most applause, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who received roughly the same amount of applause. The next most applause was for former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina."[47] Walker was a featured speaker at the event.[47]

Walker Name-Drops Possible Cabinet Choices in Interview at Koch Summit

While attending an event organized by the Koch-backed Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce at the St. Regis Monarch Beach luxury resort in Dana Point, California, Walker named some people he is interested in appointing to cabinet posts if elected president in an interview on August 2, 2015.[48] Walker named fellow candidates for president Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson as possible cabinet members to advise him on economic issues.[48] For input on foreign policy matters, Walker suggested he would appoint former Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO) and former Governor of Indiana Mitch Daniels.[48] When asked who he would appoint as vice president, Walker declined to name anyone.[48]

Walker Delivers Keynote Speech at American Legislative Exchange Council Annual Conference

"ALEC Speech 07.23.2015"

On the second day of the 42nd annual American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) conference in San Diego, Walker gave a keynote speech during the morning breakfast. He was introduced by Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-WI), ALEC's national chairwoman next year and 2009 ALEC Legislator of the Year.[49] Walker has maintained connections with ALEC since the 1990s when he was state legislator. In his speech, Walker "touted efforts in Wisconsin to restrict access to abortions and require voters to present photo identification, pledging to pursue those efforts as president. He became most animated on the agreement with Iran to ease sanctions in exchange for concessions on the Islamic nation's nuclear program."[50] Walker promoted the passage of voter ID legislation along with Right-to-Work, the Castle Doctrine, and making it harder for injured people to sue corporations in Wisconsin in his speech as his accomplishments.[51] As attendee Rep. Chris Taylor (D-WI) points out though, "Even at the ALEC conference, he failed to underscore that in fact, these were all signature ALEC policies well before he got to the Governor's office. As a former ALEC member, he is well aware that he lifted these policies, yet never even gave a nod to ALEC's influence on him as a policy maker."[51] As multiple news organizations have noted, if Walker wins the presidency, he will be the first ALEC president.

For further reading on Walker's decades-long relationship with ALEC, see "Scott Walker: The First ALEC President?".

If Elected President, Walker will Terminate US-Iran Deal on Day 1

In a piece published in Breitbart on July 24, 2015, Walker heavily criticized the US-Iran deal to reign in Iran's nuclear program.[52] Walker starts the article by calling the agreement between the US and Iran reached on July 14, 2015 "one of the greatest diplomatic failures in American history."[52] He then goes on to state that he will "terminate the deal on day one" if elected president.[52]

Walker's Presidential Primary Run His 26th Election in 25 Years

With Walker's announcement that he is officially running for the republican nominee for President of the United States in 2016, Walker is now into his 26th election in 25 years. Here is a complete list of his primary and general elections since 1990:

1990 Wisconsin State Assembly District 7 (Primary and General) (Lost to Gwen Moore)

1993 Wisconsin State Assembly District 14, Special Election (Primary and General)

1994 Wisconsin State Assembly District 14 (Primary and General)

1996 Wisconsin State Assembly District 14 (Primary and General)

1998 Wisconsin State Assembly District 14 (Primary and General)

2000 Wisconsin State Assembly District 14 (Primary and General)

2002 Milwaukee County Executive, Special Election (Primary and General)

2004 Milwaukee County Executive (Primary and General)

2006 Wisconsin Governor (Primary; withdrew in March 2006)

2008 Milwaukee County Executive (Primary and General)

2010 Wisconsin Governor (Primary and General)

2012 Wisconsin Governor, Recall Election (Primary and General)

2014 Wisconsin Governor (Primary and General)

2016 President of the United States (Primary)



Walker Signs 20-Week Abortion Bill

On July 20, 2015, Walker signed a bill that bans abortions in Wisconsin after 20 weeks from fertilization.[53] As reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The bill would make it a felony to perform abortions after 20 weeks, except when the life of the mother is in immediate danger. Doctors who do such a procedure would face up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000."[53]An earlier article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel points out that Walker would not come out in support of such a ban while campaigning in 2014, "Walker said in last year's campaign he opposed abortion, but refused to say whether he supported banning the procedure after 20 weeks. At one stage, he ran an ad saying earlier restrictions he approved were aimed at patient safety and that he understood the decision to terminate a pregnancy was an 'agonizing one.'"[54]

Errors Aplenty in Walker's Recently Filed Campaign Finance Report

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Board (GAB) on July 13, 2015 in which they asked for an investigation into the finance report that details Walker’s campaign spending and fundraising between July 29, 2014, and Oct. 20, 2014.[55] Campaign finance reports allow citizens to see the special interests that contribute to elected officials. According to The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, "In the 20 years that the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has been combing campaign finance reports, it has never come across a report with such extensive inaccuracies."[55] Here is a sample of the erroneous information identified in the filed complaint:

A $4,100 contribution on Aug. 25, 2014, by B. Wayne Hughes, of Malibu, Calif., identifies him as owner of the Piggly Wiggly Store in Burlington, Wis. Online records show: There is no Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Burlington, and the business address listed for the store in Walker’s campaign finance report is for Gooseberries Fresh Food Market; Hughes is a California billionaire, and the Malibu personal address listed for him in Walker’s campaign finance report is for a property management business called American Commercial Equities, which Hughes owns;

A $3,000 contribution on Sept. 2, 2014, by James Liautaud, of Key Largo, Fla., identifies him as a physics professor at Purdue University located in West Lafayette, Ind. Online records show Liautaud, formerly of Illinois, has founded numerous companies, including the Jimmy Johns sandwich chain, but is not a physics professor;

A $2,500 contribution on Oct. 3, 2014, by Karen McKeown, of Tyler, Tex., identifies her as president of Waxie Sanitary Supply in San Diego, Calif. Online records show Jeff Roberts is the president of Waxie Sanitary Supply and McKeown is a nurse who currently lives in Madison, Wis., and has served as administrator of Wisconsin’s Division of Public Health since 2012;

Three contributions on Aug. 25, 2014, Oct. 6, 2014, and Oct. 13, 2014, that totaled $1,700 by Maejel A. Graf, of Atherton, Calif., identify her as a manager at three different companies in two states – Premier Properties of Minnesota in Excelsior, Minn.; Regal-Beloit Corp. in Beloit, Wis.; and ABC Supply in Madison, Wis. Online records found she is a retiree who is not employed by any of these companies;

Two contributions of $2,000 on Aug. 27, 2014, and Sept. 30, 2014, by John M. Mattingly, of Darnestown, Md., identify him as president of Genesee Aggregate Co. in West Allis, Wis., and as president of Lovejoy Controls Corp. in Waukesha, Wis., respectively. Online records show Elaine Kraut is president of Genesee Aggregate; Kim Lovejoy is president of Lovejoy Controls; and Mattingly is the chief financial officer for DDD Co. in Landover, Md.;

A $1,500 contribution on Oct. 17, 2014, by Richard H. Kimberly, of McLean, Va., identifies him as the owner of Werner Electric Supply in Neenah, Wis. Online records show Werner Electric is owned by Lynn T. MacDonald, and that the personal address listed for Kimberly in Walker’s campaign finance report is also for a data processing business called Richard H. Kimberly;

Two $1,000 contributions on Oct. 20, 2014, by Allen Hartman, of Houston, Tex., identify him as a doctor who works for McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogen, Utah, and for the Permanente Medical Group in Union City, Calif. Online records found no doctor named Hartman at either medical facility, and that the Hartman at the Houston address listed on Walker’s campaign finance report is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hartman Income REIT, a real estate firm;

Contributions of $500 on Aug. 4, 2014, by J.B. McWethy, of Downers Grove, Ill., and $150 on Sept. 3, 2014, by James Meade of Oklahoma City, Okla., identify them both as president and chief executive officer of Hartman REIT in Houston, Tex. Online records show: Allen Hartman of Houston, Tex. is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hartman REIT; McWethy as the owner of Mistwood Golf Club, which is located at the personal address listed for McWethy in Walker’s campaign finance report; and James Meade is the chairman of Meade Energy Corp., which is located at the personal address listed for Meade in Walker’s campaign finance report.[55]

Walker's full campaign finance report can be accessed here.

Walker Calls Minimum Wage 'Lame'

"Hannity 07.13.2015"

In an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News following his announcement speech for the presidency of the United States on July 13, 2015, Walker stated that the minimum wage is a "lame idea."[56] He made the comment while claiming that the left does not work for America's middle class,

"The left claims that they're for American workers and they've just got just really lame ideas — things like the minimum wage. Instead of focusing on that, we need to talk about how we get people the skills and the education and the qualifications that they need to take on the careers that pay far more than the minimum wage."[56]

Walker said this only a day after he replaced the words "living wage" with "minimum wage" in a last minute change to the state budget.[57]

This is not the first time Walker has criticized the minimum wage, saying in his last campaign, "I don't think it serves a purpose."[58] Instead, Walker would like to give people the skills to attain high-wage jobs. Notably, Walker’s 2011 anti-union Act 10 bill, combined with "right to work" and the repeal of prevailing wage, will lower wages for almost 600,000 skilled public and private workers in the state. Wisconsin ranks 40th in job growth and 42nd in wage growth.[59]

Walker Officially Announces 2016 Presidential Bid

"Walker for America"

On July 13 2015, Walker officially announced his bid for President of the United States.[60] In a tweet, Walker posted, "I'm in. I'm running for president because Americans deserve a leader who will fight and win for them."[60] Following this announcement, Walker also posted on his website that he will be going on an "Announcement Tour" for the next week which will take him through the states of Nevada, South Carolina, Georgia, New Hampshire and Iowa.[61] Walker publicly announced his 2016 run for President at the Waukesha County Expo Center to a crowd of 2,000 later in the day.[62] Walker's full announcement speech can be read here. CMD's coverage of the event can be accessed here.

Walker Gets Rid of 'Living Wage' for Wisconsin Workers in New State Budget

Walker made a last-minute change to the state budget in his signing of the bill on July 12, 2015 that replaced the words "living wage" with "minimum wage."[57] The Huffington Post reports that "The change means minimum-wage Wisconsin workers will earn nearly $6,000 per year less than what the Massachusetts Institute of Technology calculates is a living wage in the state. And they will have no recourse, according to the Center for American Progress. MIT says a living wage would be $10.13 an hour."[57] The change now strips workers of the ability to appeal for a living wage.

Walker and GOP Leaders Attempt to Destroy Wisconsin Open Records Law, Bury Walker's Record

Walker and Republican leaders made a last-minute, anonymous attempt to gut Wisconsin's open records law during budget deliberations on July 2, 2015, shortly before Walker's expected presidential announcement July 13. The changes would have created a deliberative materials exemption to the law that would apply to all levels of government from school boards to the governor's mansion. It would have permanently deep-sixed key materials regarding Walker's record as governor, prompting news articles calling him "more Nixonian than Nixon."[63][64] The changes were a direct result of a lawsuit by the Center for Media and Democracy against Walker for failing to turn over records related to Walker's efforts to strike "the search for truth" and the Wisconsin Idea from the budget bill.[65] See CMD's article here.

Walker Office admits role in open records proposal

Following massive opposition to the changes to the open records law from open records advocates across the political spectrum, including the the right-wing McIver Institute and Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), Walker and the the GOP leadership announced the following day that the changes would be dropped,

"After substantive discussion over the last day, we have agreed that the provisions relating to any changes in the state's open records law will be removed from the budget in its entirety. We are steadfastly committed to open and accountable government. The intended policy goal of these changes was to provide a reasonable solution to protect constituents' privacy and to encourage a deliberative process between elected officials and their staff in developing policy. It was never intended to inhibit transparent government in any way."[66]

At first Walker refused to acknowledge his role in drafting the open records law changes, but finally stated that his office was involved after Republican state Senate majority leader Scott Fitzgerald and Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said that he was.[67] In emails acquired through an open records request to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos's office, the Wisconsin State Journal reported that it found that Walker was directly involved in drafting language changes to the law,

"In a June 15 email to Vos aide Andrew Hanus with the subject line 'Governor’s request,' Michael Gallagher of the Legislative Reference Bureau wrote: 'In the interest of expediency, I am going to enter this as a Speaker Vos request and copy David Rabe from the Governor’s office on it. I just talked to David. He is fine with proceeding that way. Let me know if you want to do it differently. It should go out tomorrow morning.' The next morning the LRB’s legal department emailed draft legislative language that would have exempted drafts and notes, personal property and a series of other materials from being public records."[68]

Jon Hammes and Todd Ricketts Will Co-Chair Fundraising for Walker's Presidential Bid

According to a report by CNN, Jon Hammes and Todd Rickets will co-chair the fundraising for Walker's 2016 presidential campaign.[45] Jon Hammes, the founder of a Wisconsin health care company, has previously raised funds for Republican nominees Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).[45] This will be Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts' first campaign position.[45]

Walker: "Supreme Leader of Iran has Saved Us" from Bad Agreement

While on the Lars Larson Show on July 1, 2015, Walker again criticized Obama for negotiating a bad deal with Iran.[69] This time, in discussing the ongoing negotiations, Walker seemed to support the Supreme Leader of Iran in his position on the agreement when he said that, “The only thing saving us is the Supreme Leader still doesn’t think that’s good enough, and so that apparently is going to push them away from going forward with the deal —at least, appears to. But, you know — never, never, never take for granted just how far this administration under President Obama is willing to go to lead from behind, and so I still worry that this is ultimately something that the next president is going to have to deal with it.”[69]

Stephen Moore Tells Lies About Speaking with Walker to the New York Times

In an article in The New York Times on July 2, 2015, Stephen Moore, a conservative scholar at the Heritage Foundation said that Walker recently told him over the phone that "I’m not going nativist; I’m pro-immigration."[70] Moore, the co-author of Rich States, Poor States and an ALEC scholar, added that Walker's position on immigration is "a work in progress."[70]

The New York Times later reported on July 6 that, "after three days of pressure from Mr. Walker’s aides, Mr. Moore said that he had 'misspoken' when recounting his call with Mr. Walker — and that the call had never actually taken place."[71] When Martin asked Walker if he supported a path to citizenship for undocumented workers, his spokeswomen AshLee Strong responded, "The governor has made it clear that the immigration system is broken and we need to secure the border, enforce our laws, and have a legal immigration system in place that is good for the economy, working families, and wages."[71]

Walker Disapproves of Reopening of US Embassy in Cuba

Breidbartreports that Walker strongly disapproves of Obama's decision to reopen the US Embassy in Cuba and to establish full diplomatic relations.[72] When asked to comment on the reopening of the Embassy, Walker stated,

"“President Obama’s decision to establish full diplomatic relations with Cuba and open an embassy there is yet another example of his appeasement of dictators. He is foolishly rewarding the brutal Castro dictatorship and selling out the Cuban people. Given his track record of retreat, should we expect an embassy in Iran next? Instead of supporting our close ally Israel with an embassy in Jerusalem, President Obama is accommodating an enemy, the Castro regime, without forcing it to turn over its terrorist and criminal fugitives."[72]

Walker Calls SCOTUS Ruling on Marriage Equality a 'Grave Mistake'

Following the SCOTUS ruling on June 26, 2015 in favor of marriage equality for all citizens regardless of gender or sexual orientation, Walker issued a statement calling the decision a "grave mistake."[73] In the statement, he went on to argue for constitutional amendment to put the definition of marriage in the hands of the states,

"The states are the proper place for these decisions to be made, and as we have seen repeatedly over the last few days, we will need a conservative president who will appoint men and women to the Court who will faithfully interpret the Constitution and laws of our land without injecting their own political agendas. As a result of this decision, the only alternative left for the American people is to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to reaffirm the ability of the states to continue to define marriage."[73]

"Divide-and-Conquer" Walker Opposes Equal Pay Legislation Because it Divides

In an interview with Boston Herald Radio on June 17, 2015, Walker stated in response to a question on Hillary Clinton's equal pay advocacy that she is trying to "pit one group of Americans versus another.”[74] Walker added that he believes that this is part of her campaign strategy, "I believe that the president and now Hillary Clinton tend to think that politically they do better if they pit one group of Americans versus another.”[74]

As Brendan Fischer of The Center for Media and Democracy points out, "Throughout Walker's political career, he has mastered the art of pitting one group against another. He has established a pattern of governing by sneak attack...And his tenure has left the state divided like never before."[75] In fact, Walker stated has stated his political strategy as "divide-and-conquer" in a videotaped conversation with billionaire GOP financier Diane Hendricks, his single largest donor. “Any chance we'll ever get to be a completely red state and work on these unions....And become a right-to-work [state]?,” Hendricks asks in the January 2011 video. Walker replies: “Well, we're going to start in a couple weeks with our budget adjustment bill. The first step is we're going to deal with collective bargaining for all public employee unions, because you use divide and conquer.… That opens the door once we do that.”[75]

For examples on how Walker as pitted one group against another see Fisher's article.

Walker Creates 'Testing the Waters' Committee

On June 18, 2015, Walker established a "Testing the Waters" committee for the Presidency of the United States and has begun raising funds for it on his new website.[76] Walker and his campaign staff will have control over these funds but "will be required to follow federal campaign finance limits now that Walker is officially weighing his options," reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.[77] "Those testing the waters might conduct polling, travel and pay for telephone calls to determine whether they should become candidates," the FEC said to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.[77] This announcement follows a complaint filed by the Campaign Legal Center before the FEC at the end of March 2015.[78] The complaint alleged that Walker has been a candidate according to federal law because he referred to himself as a candidate publicly and is reserving donations for a presidential run.[78] Therefore, he has been "violating candidate registration and reporting requirements, contribution limits and restrictions, as well as federal “soft money” prohibitions."[79]

Wisconsin Ranks 35th in US in Creating Jobs under Walker

Job Growth under Walker

During Walker's first term as Governor, Wisconsin ranked 35th in the US in job creation, behind all other midwestern states, according to Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on June 17, 2015.[80] The report that Walker has previously called "the gold standard for measuring his campaign promises" also showed that the state had added just 131,515 private-sector jobs in his first four years as governor, only 52.6 percent of the 250,000 new private-sector jobs that Walker promised to "create" during his first term.[80] According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the U.S. Bureau Labor Statistics report also shows that "Wisconsin had 9,463 more business establishments in 2014 than in 2010, or more than 500 short of Walker’s campaign pledge to create 10,000 businesses in his first term."[80] The numbers released in the report clearly demonstrate Walker's failure to achieve many of the economic goals he outlined in his 2010 campaign.

Wisconsin Ranks Dead Last in Startup Activity

As Walker travels around the country claiming that the state of Wisconsin's economy is in good health, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation released a study on June 4, 2015 reporting that Wisconsin ranks last in start up activity among all 50 states.[81] Not only did Wisconsin fair poorly in the study, the Milwaukee metropolitan area ranked second to last for start up activity..[82] According to the report, Wisconsin did poorly in encouraging new start ups while the majority of states and metropolitan areas saw a "resurgence of startup activity in 2015."[81]

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation produced "Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurship is the first and largest index tracking entrepreneurship across city, state and national levels for the United States."[81]

Walker Campaign Hires Mari Will, Washington Post Conservative Columnist George Will's Wife

At the bottom of an opinion piece attacking 2016 Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, Washington Post columnist George Will stated that his wife, Mari Will, is working for Walker's campaign as a paid advisor.[83] Eddie Scarry reports that Will has repeatedly commented favorably of Walker, "During a radio interview in February, Will compared Walker favorably to president Ronald Reagan, calling him 'a pure Reaganite.'"[84]

Walker Wants a Constitutional Amendment to Allow States to Ban Same-Sex Marriage

On June 7, 2015 in an appearance on ABC News This Week, Walker stated that he supports amending the U.S. constitution so that individual states can decide on legality of same-sex marriage.[85] When ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl asked Walker would the same-sex marriage political debate be over if the Supreme Court rules that it is a constitutional right, he responded,

"Well, I personally believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. If the court decides that, the only next approach is for those who are supporters of marriage being defined as between one man and one woman is ultimately to consider pursuing a constitutional amendment...I believe that the decision on defining marriage should be left up to the states, yeah."[85]

Walker Wants to Reduce Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Limited Role

In an appearance at Gov. Rick Scott's Economic Growth Summit on June 2, 2015, Walker proposed reforming the EPA by removing many of its powers and placing them in the hands of states.[86] Responding to a question on what Walker would do to aid the manufacturing sector up against regulations, Walker stated,

“One of the things I’d love to see the next Congress and the next president hone in on is pulling major portions of Washington and sending it back to the states. The EPA’s a good example. Every state has an equivalent of the EPA. Every state that has it, not that they’re all perfect, but they’re much more effective, much more efficient and certainly much more accountable at the state and local level than they are in Washington.”[86]

Meanwhile, Walker has proposed deep cuts to Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources, the conservation and environmental protection agency. Walker has proposed cutting $42 million and 66 positions, including many scientists and educators, from the agency’s budget; freezing the state’s popular Stewardship Fund, under which the DNR funds land purchases for conservation; replacing the citizen-led, policy-making Natural Resources Board with an advisory council; and eliminating all state funding for State Parks.[87]

In addition, ThinkProgress points out that "the prospect of 50 states setting 50 different sets of environmental rules and standards would make it extremely complex to do business in America with any sort of basic compliance."[86] In other words, Walker's gutting of the EPA would do more to hamper business in the United States than encourage it.

When asked about the passage of the USA Freedom Act sponsored by senior House Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) in an appearance on Fox and Friends on June 3, 2015, Walker lamented at the expiration of the Patriot Act and that we "would be much better off" with it over the new piece of legislation.[88] Politico reports that in the interview "Walker dismissed criticism that the program amounts to eavesdropping, saying it is rather 'a matter of collecting the data and accessing it under a very legal constitutional process only when we’ve got clear evidence that someone is connected with an enemy combatant.'[88]

The entire GOP Wisconsin delegation voted in favor of the Sensenbrenner bill, making Walker an outlier.

Wisconsin Will Not Comply with EPA's Clean Power Plan, Walker Says

In a letter to President Obama dated May 21, 2015, Walker stated that unless there are changes made, Wisconsin will not be complying with the EPA's Clean Power Plan.[89] Walker cited the "staggering costs" and the "technical flaws" in the plan as reasons for not developing a state compliance plan. [89] Timothy Cama writes in his article on Walker's letter,

"Walker has said very little about his stance on humanity's role in climate change, but environmentalists have accused him of prohibiting the state’s Board of Commissioners of Public Lands from doing any work related to climate. He’s also signed a pledge never to support a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, organized by Charles and David Koch-backed group Americans for Prosperity."[90]

Walker Says that Women Forced to Have Ultrasounds Will Change Their Mind Because they are a "Cool Thing"

In an interview with conservative talk radio host Dana Loesch on May 22, 2015, Walker "defended a bill he signed that required women to undergo ultrasound examinations before seeking an abortion, saying the medically unnecessary procedures were a 'lovely' and 'cool thing.'[91] Arguing that the media misrepresented the bill, Walker said,

The media tried to make that sound like that was a crazy idea. Most people I talked to, whether they’re pro-life or not, I find people all the time that pull out their iPhone and show me a picture of their grandkids’ ultrasound and how excited they are, so that’s a lovely thing. I think about my sons are 19 and 20, (and) we still have their first ultrasounds. It’s just a cool thing out there. We just knew if we signed that law, if we provided the information that more people if they saw that unborn child would make a decision to protect and keep the life of that unborn child."[91]

MSNBC's Steve Benen points out in response to Walker's comments that,

"No one has suggested that there’s something wrong with ultrasounds themselves. It’s a perfectly good technological advancement, which medical professionals rely on every day. The problem, whether Walker can understand this or not, is that politicians shouldn’t be in the business of dictating ultrasounds’ use. In this case, a governor with no background in medicine, science, or health services took it upon himself to legally mandate a medical procedure before women could exercise their rights. This governor put himself between the patient and her doctor – for no medical reason whatsoever – regardless of the patient’s wishes, and regardless of what medical professionals consider necessary."[92]

Walker Seeks Support of Admitted Child Molester in Private Meeting

While in Washington, D.C. on May 19, 2015, Walker met with Josh Duggar in private and sought his support for the presidency.[93][94] Duggar was working as a lobbyist for the Family Research Council at the time but has since resigned following revelations that he sexually molested multiple girls when he was 14 years old.[95]

Walker Wants to End Ban on US Crude Oil Exports

Speaking in Oklahoma at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference on May 21, 2015, Walker called for an end to the 40 year old ban on US crude oil exports.[96] Walker stated in his remarks,

“We’ve got an abundance of supply. Think about the impact we could have, not just economically, but from a security standpoint, if we lifted that crude oil ban that has been in place and allow to export in places like our allies in Europe, where instead of being dependent on (Vladimir) Putin and the Russians, they could be dependent on Americans.”[97]

Opponents, like David Turnbull, campaigns director for Oil Change International, argue that a lifting of the ban will be disastrous for the environment, “Relaxing oil restrictions or oil regulation in the context of our climate crisis, which is growing day by day, is moving in the wrong direction”[98]

Late in 2014, the Department of Defense in a report called climate change a threat to US national security.[99]

Center for Media and Democracy Sues Walker for Unlawfully Withholding Documents

On May 19, 2015, The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) filed a lawsuit against Walker for "unlawfully withholding public records related to his office’s alteration of the University of Wisconsin System’s mission statement and the "Wisconsin Idea" contained in Wisconsin statutes."[100] CMD was the first media outlet to break the "Wisconsin Idea" story.[101] CMD made a public records request to Walker's office in their investigation into the process of removing the core philosophy from the University System's mission and received some documents, but others were not handed over citing "deliberative process privilege." CMD argues that "deliberative process privilege" is "not recognized under Wisconsin’s strong public records law."[100] Lisa Graves, CMD Executive Director, commented on the filing,

“Walker's response to CMD's disclosure of his attack on the Wisconsin Idea included a rare series of stumbles and retractions.The governor stumbles again with this denial of our lawful open records request. The denial is nothing short of an effort to circumvent Wisconsin's proud tradition of open government,”[100]

Walker Doesn't Presently Support a Palestinian State

Following a recent trip to Israel, Scott Walker came out in opposition of a Palestinian state in an interview with Wisconsin Eye, although he didn't rule out supporting one in the future.[102] When asked about Palestinian statehood, Walker supported Israel over Palestine,

"I support—as presidents of both parties have, and Congress members and others—a two-state solution, ultimately. I thought this before going there, and I see it even more, they're not ready for that right now. The security risks are very real, and I think going forward there's got to be a way to have secure borders for the state of Israel itself."[102]

If Elected President, Walker Signals that He Will Pursue a National Right-to-Work Law

In an appearance on Radio Iowa on April 25, 2015, Walker stated that a national right-to-work law is needed.[103] During the interview with O. Kay Henderson, Walker stated, "As much as I think the federal government should get out of most of what it’s in right now, I think establishing fundamental freedoms for the American people is a legitimate thing and that [a national right to work law] would be something that would provide that opportunity in the other half of America to people who don’t have those opportunities today."[103]

Right-to-work policies undermine unions by preventing them from negotiating contract provisions that require all workers, including non-members, to contribute to the costs of worker representation on the job. Right-to-work laws encourages workers to "free ride," gaining all the advantages of the union contract without paying a share of the costs of collective bargaining and worker representation. So-called "right to work" laws do not create a right to have or hold a job, and should not be confused with the "right to work" as described in the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.[104]

After reversing his support for a path to citizenship for undocumented workers in the United States, Walker came out in support of limiting legal immigration in an interview with Glenn Beck on April 20, 2015.[105] This is a major shift in stance on immigration policy in just a matter of weeks. In what has been characterized by the conservative press as a "pro American worker" position, Walker said,

"In terms of legal immigration, how we need to approach that going forward is saying—the next president and the next congress need to make decisions about a legal immigration system that’s based on, first and foremost, on protecting American workers and American wages, because the more I’ve talked to folks, I’ve talked to Senator Sessions and others out there—but it is a fundamentally lost issue by many in elected positions today—is what is this doing for American workers looking for jobs, what is this doing to wages, and we need to have that be at the forefront of our discussion going forward."[105]

MSNBC reported that, "Walker’s remarks widened a growing divide in the 2016 field between Republicans like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul who want to expand the party to voting blocs outside their base, especially Latinos, and those, like Walker, who see riling up the party’s older and whiter conservative base as the key to general election success."[106]

His comments on immigration with Glenn Beck were called an "Olympics-quality flip-flop" by Liz Mair, former online communications director for his campaign.[107]

Charles and David Koch, the billionaires who oversee one of the biggest private political organizations in the country, told Republican donors in New York on April 19, 2015 that Walker is their man for President.[108] "We will support whoever the candidate is," David Koch said, "but it should be Scott Walker," according to an account in The New York Times.[109] Koch said, "Scott Walker is terrific and I really wish him all the best. He’s a tremendous candidate to be the nominee in my opinion," as reported by the New York Daily News.[110] (According to CNN, he later stated, "I am not endorsing or supporting any candidate for president at this point in time.")[111]

Since starting to cover Walker and his Koch backing in 2011, the Center for Media and Democracy has identified at least $11.6 million in support for Walker from the Kochs and their affiliated groups, plus millions more in indirect funding.[108] The Kochs and their political network plan to spend $1 billion during the 2016 presidential elections.[112] See more under Relationship to Koch Industries below.

Read more about the Kochs' support for Walker in CMD's article, "Koch Brothers Declare Scott Walker is Our Man," on PRwatch.org.

Walker Backs Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Free Trade Agreement

In a speech at the Hannover Messe trade show on April 14, 2015 in Germany while on a European trade mission, Walker supported the passage of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade agreement.[113] According to his office, "The Governor noted that the TTIP has the potential to promote the international competitiveness of the U.S. and create jobs and economic growth through increased economic ties with our largest trade and investment partner (Europe)."[113] The AP reported that Walker believes the passage of TTIP will benefit his sons and other young people, “Their generation will ultimately grow stronger, I believe, when we approve a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.”[114]

The TTIP has been heavily criticized for being a "full-frontal assault on democracy" because it will give corporations the power to sue governments, particularly when they lose money.[115] Through the introduction of Investor-State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) as part of the agreement, transnational corporations will be able to "dictate the policies of democratically elected governments."[116] Lee Williams of the The Independent writes,

"ISDSs are already in place in other bi-lateral trade agreements around the world and have led to such injustices as in Germany where Swedish energy company Vattenfall is suing the German government for billions of dollars over its decision to phase out nuclear power plants in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. Here we see a public health policy put into place by a democratically elected government being threatened by an energy giant because of a potential loss of profit. Nothing could be more cynically anti-democratic."[116]

President Obama says Walker should "Bone Up on Foreign Policy"

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on March 25, 2015, Walker stated that he would roll back President Obama's Iran nuclear deal on day one if elected President,

"...the concept of a nuclear Iran is not only problematic for Iran, and certainly for Israel, but it opens the doors. I mean, the Saudis are next. You’re going to have plenty of others in the region. People forget that even amongst the Islamic world, there is no love lost between the Saudis and the Iranians. And so they’re going to want to have a nuclear weapon if the Iranians have a nuclear weapon. This is something that just escalates right before our eyes. And the fact that this administration began these discussions essentially conceding that they’re going to allow enrichment to go forward with the Iranians just shows you that they don’t have the same level of concern that I think I and Senator Rubio and many others out there have, that a nuclear Iran is a problem for the entire world, not just for Israel."[117]

Walker made this comment after saying back in February of 2015 that "I don't think it's wise to undermine the president of your own country."[118]

When asked to comment, President Obama criticized Walker's position and lack of foreign policy experience in an interview with NPR's "Morning Edition" on April 7, 2015, "It would be a foolish approach to take, and perhaps Mr. Walker — after he's taken some time to bone up on foreign policy — will feel the same way."[118]

Walker Ignores State and Federal Campaign Finance Law

In the John Doe Investigation which has gotten little attention outside of Wisconsin, a bipartisan group of prosecutors allege that the Walker campaign illegally coordinated fundraising and expenditures with Wisconsin Club for Growth (WiCFG) and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) during the 2012 campaign to recall Gov. Walker. While coordination between candidate campaign committees and independent groups is prohibited, WiCFG director R.J. Johnson was also Walker's campaign manager when the state faced a series of nine recall races after the passage of the 2011 union-busting Act 10 legislation. Representatives of the Walker campaign or the dark money groups could face civil or criminal liability if prosecutors find that they conspired to evade campaign finance disclosure requirements and contribution limits. (The U.S. Department of Justice recently settled a criminal campaign coordination case in Virginia.)[119]

In his run for the White House, Walker continues to exhibit total disregard for campaign finance law, says the Campaign Legal Center in a complaint filed before the FEC in March 2015.[78] The complaint alleges that Walker is now a candidate according to federal law because he referred to himself as a candidate publicly and is reserving donations for a presidential run.[78] Therefore, he is "currently violating candidate registration and reporting requirements, contribution limits and restrictions, as well as federal “soft money” prohibitions."[79]

“These 2016 presidential contenders must take the American people for fools—flying repeatedly to Iowa and New Hampshire to meet with party leaders and voters, hiring campaign staff, and raising millions of dollars from deep-pocketed mega donors, all the while denying that they are even ‘testing the waters’ of a presidential campaign. But federal campaign finance law is no joke and the candidate contribution limits kick in as soon as a person begins raising and spending money to determine whether they’re going to run for office. Bush, O’Malley, Santorum and Walker appear to be violating federal law,” Paul S. Ryan, Campaign Legal Center Senior Counsel, stated on the filing of the complaint.[79]

The New York Times highlighted many of these potential campaign finance law violations in an article on July 25, 2015 following recent campaign finance disclosures to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).[120] In regards to Walker's campaign, the authors reported that,

"With any Wisconsin re-election bid at least three years away, Mr. Walker’s committee [Friends of Scott Walker] paid out nearly $500,000 in salaries and benefits. Friends of Scott Walker also spent $114,000 on fund-raising events, 10 times what it spent on fund-raising during the equivalent period during his first term. His Wisconsin re-election campaign paid for hotels and meals in Iowa and New Hampshire from January to April. The committee has paid $2.5 million to his direct mail fund-raising firm this year, more than Mr. Walker spent with the company during his entire 2014 re-election campaign."[120]

Veteran Reporter Isikoff Details Pay-to-Play Allegations, John Menard Donates More than $1.5M in Secret

Michael Isikoff reported in Yahoo! Politics on March 23, 2015 that John Menard donated over $1.5 million in secret to the Wisconsin Club for Growth in 2011 and 2012.[121] WCFG is at the center of a John Doe criminal probe into possible illegal campaign coordination with Walker's campaign. The contributions "were uncovered among hundreds of emails and internal documents seized by state prosecutors" during the investigation. According to Isikoff, the donations appear to have benefited Menard and his company: "In the past two years, Menard’s company has been awarded up to $1.8 million in special tax credits from a state economic development corporation that Walker chairs, according to state records."[121] In addition, the state Department of National Resources has backed off Menard's company under Walker, though "The agency had repeatedly clashed with Menard and his company under previous governors over citations for violating state environmental laws and had levied a $1.7 million fine against Menard personally, as well as his company, for illegally dumping hazardous wastes."[121]

Bill Allison, a senior fellow at the Sunlight Foundation that investigates money and politics, commented upon hearing of the secret contributions:

“This, in a nutshell, is what’s wrong with the dark-money world we live in...Here’s somebody who obviously has issues before the state, and he’s able to make a backdoor contribution that nobody ever sees. My sense is [political] insiders know about these contributions. It’s only the public that has no idea."[121]

A Menards spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by U.S. News & World Report, which also described Walker's response:

"'I haven't engaged in any of that and there's going to be lots of stories going forward,' Walker said before walking away as an aide told reporters that he would not take questions."[122]

In addition to Menard's donation, Isikoff noted that the following people made large donations in secret to the WCFG,[121]

A Pattern of Governing by "Bombshell" and Reversals

As he runs for president, Walker and his allies are promoting him as a straight-shooter. “He has a plain-spoken way that is totally relatable. He says what he's going to do and does it,” Mark Block told Bloomberg News in February 2015.[123] "Voters want leaders who are going to spell out what they're going to do and then have the courage to act on it," Walker recently told Fox's Sean Hannity the same month.[124]

But the experience in Wisconsin has been quite different:

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: Just weeks into his first gubernatorial term, Walker proposed the legislation that has defined his political career, the anti-union Act 10. Yet he never spelled out that he would go after unions on the 2010 campaign trail. In fact, Walker pledged that he would do the opposite: one week before the 2010 election, he told the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial board that he would actually negotiate with public sector unions.[125] After the introduction of Act 10, Walker claimed that he gave voters fair warning. In February of 2011, one week after the controversial bill’s introduction, he said that "I campaigned on (Act 10) all throughout the election. Anybody who says they are shocked on this has been asleep for the past two years."[126] Politifact called the claim “false.”[127] Even Walker’s supporters couldn’t come up with a single instance of Walker stating during his campaign that he would end a half-century of collective bargaining for public employees.[128]

RIGHT-TO-WORK: ”We're not going to do anything with right to work," Walker told the New York Times in October of 2014 while running for reelection, echoing public statements he had made for years.[129] But on March 9, 2015, Walker signed right-to-work legislation that was lifted word-for-word from an American Legislative Exchange Council "model."[130] This reversal earned him a "full flop" on Politifact's flip-o-meter.[131]

FEDERAL ETHANOL MANDATE: At the Iowa Ag Summit in Des Moines on March 7, 2015, Walker came out in support of the federal ethanol mandate.[132] "It's an access issue, and so it's something I'm willing to go forward on continuing the Renewable Fuel Standard and pressing the EPA to make sure there's certainty in terms of the blend levels set," Walker stated.[132] This is a shift in position for Walker who in 2006 had stood strongly opposing the mandate, arguing that "a big government mandate is not the way to support the farmers of this state...Central planning will not help our family farmers, protect our environment or provide jobs. The free-enterprise system must drive innovation to relieve our dependence on foreign oil, not mandates from the state or federal government."[133]

ABORTION: In an "Open Letter on Life," Walker came out in support of a ban on abortions after 20 weeks on March 3, 2015.[134] As reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Walker would not come out in support of such a ban while campaigning in 2014, "Walker said in last year's campaign he opposed abortion, but refused to say whether he supported banning the procedure after 20 weeks. At one stage, he ran an ad saying earlier restrictions he approved were aimed at patient safety and that he understood the decision to terminate a pregnancy was an 'agonizing one.'"[135]

AMNESTY: Walker changed his position on undocumented immigrants despite claiming that he had not, as the Wausau Daily Herald reported on February 17, 2015. In an interview with the newspaper's editorial board in 2013, Walker was asked: "Can you envision a world where, with the right penalties and waiting periods and meet the requirements, where those people [undocumented immigrants] could get citizenship?" To this he responded, "Sure. Yeah. I mean, I think it makes sense."[136] (The video of the interview can be viewed here.) Walker later claimed that he never said this and was misquoted. In a February 2015 interview with Bret Baier of Fox News, he said, "That’s wrong. It's not what I said. I have said I believe we need a legal immigration system. I have said repeatedly I oppose amnesty."[137]

POLITICAL FUNDING FROM GAMBLING INDUSTRY: When Walker was a state representative in 1999, he was in favor of a ban on political contributions from the gambling industry.[138] ThinkProgress reports that Walker stated to fellow representatives in a hearing on the ban in September of 1999, "We have witnessed problems with gambling contributions at the federal level and in other states...We must act now before problems evolve in this state. Our measure will act as a protection against corruption here in Wisconsin.”[138] Walker clearly changed his position on such a ban. In recent years, "he accepted a $250,000 donation from Las Vegas Sands chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. The Republican megadonor and his wife Miriam would each make $10,000 donations to Walker’s 2014 re-election campaign as well (in addition to a $650,000 gift to the state GOP). According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, the Adelsons are among Walker’s six top biggest donors since 2009."[138] On top of these very large donations, "A ThinkProgress review of Walker’s other donors found he also received $9,000 from the Forest County Potawatomi Community (a Native American tribe that operates a Milwaukee casino). Walker got $5,000 from Wild Rose Entertainment chairman Gerald M. Kirke and $3,000 from vice chairman Michael J. Richards (their company operates two casinos in Iowa). And Peter M. Carlino, chairman of Penn National Gaming, also contributed $1,000 to Walker in 2012."[138]

ON STIMULUS FUNDING: When serving as Milwaukee County Executive in early January 2009, Walker stated that he would refuse federal stimulus dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Walker as saying that, "'The last thing you want to do is put money in hands of government,' if the goal is to pull the economy from recession."[139] Walker was so strongly opposed to the stimulus that he wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal entitled, "Why I'm Not Lining Up for Stimulus Handouts," where he argued that taking the funds would hurt the economy and lead to a larger deficit.[140] The Milwaukee County Board disagreed with Walker and pursued the funds aggressively.[141] Walker attempted to prevent the County Board from receiving the stimulus funds through a veto but, ultimately, failed when the Board overrided his veto.[142] Once it became clear that the county would be requesting stimulus funds, Walker shifted his position and released a wish list for the funds later in the day.[142] However, putting together a wish list did not stop Walker from publicly boasting that he is unique in not accepting stimulus funds, nor from fundraising on his position ""Earlier this year, I was one of the few elected officials in the country to not submit a wish list of projects from the federal stimulus funds," Walker said in a four-page fund-letter to supporters.[143] Patricia Jursik, a county board member, criticized Walker for "playing politics" with the funds, "While saying he opposed government handouts, Walker sought federal dollars for bus rapid transit. He is also sending out this letter critical of stimulus dollars even while his department heads are seeking them, something Jursik said they should be doing."[143]

ON GUN RESTRICTIONS: On Friday April 10, 2015 while speaking at the National Rifle Association annual meeting, Walker boasted "how he has an A+ rating from the NRA as governor and had an A rating as a state legislator."[80] Walker went on to say that the country needs leaders like himself who believe that "preserving, protecting and defending (the Constitution) is not optional.”[80] However, Walker has not always fought against restrictions on guns. As Buzzfeed recently highlighted, Walker listed his support of two pieces of gun control legislation as "accomplishments" on his biography page while serving as a Wisconsin legislator in 2002,

“In 1994, Walker pushed through two measures to tighten gun laws. One measure now prohibits any person who commits the equivalent of a felony as a juvenile from possessing a firearm. The other measure prohibits anyone who was involuntarily committed as a minor from possessing a firearm. This legislation resulted from working with students at Wauwatosa West High School following the tragic shooting of a school administrator in 1993.”[144] Also, "Walker, at the time a junior member of the state assembly, briefly co-sponsored a bill in 1995 making it illegal for any federally licensed gun dealer in the state to sell a weapon that wasn't secured with a trigger lock, and also made it illegal to buy one. The penalty: fines of up to $10,000 and jail sentences of up to nine months," Bloomberg reported in March of 2015.[145]

Walker's Online Communications Director Liz Mair "Resigns" After Two Days on the Job

Liz Mair, online communications director for Walker's Our American Revival and former director of online communications for his 2012 reelection campaign, resigned on March 17, 2015 after an article in The Des Moines Register highlighting tweets critical of Iowa was published.[146] In January, Mair tweeted, "In other news, I see Iowa is once again embarrassing itself, and the GOP, this morning. Thanks, guys."[147] Once brought to light, influential Iowa republicans took issue with Mair's appointment and "The movement to oust Mair snowballed after Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann got in the action, calling on the aide to apologize or "I'd send her packing." He further said her comments were "not only incorrect, they're rather juvenile, they're naive, they're ignorant," the Huffington Post reported.[148] "The tone of some of my tweets concerning Iowa was at odds with that which Gov. Walker has always encouraged in political discourse," Mair released in resignation.[149] It is unlikely that Mair quit on her own says friend and political columnist Erik Erickson, "There’s just no way Liz Mair resigned with it being her idea. I haven’t talked to her yet, but there’s just no way. So instead of Walker owning this, he’s passed the ball and made a staffer off herself. That’s unfortunate and plays into the “not ready for prime time” theme already developing around Team Walker."[150]

Many conservatives criticized Walker for appearing weak in not supporting Mair, including the conservative pundit Jonah Goldberg who stated, "“If Walker is the guy I hope he is, he won’t just have to take on his enemies, he’ll have to take on his friends, too … Isn’t that the point of the anti-establishment movement on the right?”[151]

Mair is not the first Walker aide to be forced out for previous tweets. In 2013, Taylor Palmisano, Walker's campaign's deputy finance director, and Steven Krieser, his assistant deputy secretary at the state Department of Transportation, were fired for racist posts on social media.[152]

President Obama Hammers Walker over Right-to-Work Law

President Obama placed himself in the middle of the republican politics on March 9, 2015 in releasing a statement critical of Wisconsin's right-to-work that Walker signed on the same day. Obama said,

"Wisconsin is a state built by labor, with a proud pro-worker past. So even as its governor claims victory over working Americans, I’d encourage him to try and score a victory for working Americans -- by taking meaningful action to raise their wages and offer them the security of paid leave. That’s how you give hardworking middle-class families a fair shot in the new economy -- not by stripping their rights in the workplace, but by offering them all the tools they need to get ahead."[153]

At the Iowa Ag Summit in Des Moines on March 7, 2015, Walker came out in support of the federal ethanol mandate.[132] "It's an access issue, and so it's something I'm willing to go forward on continuing the Renewable Fuel Standard and pressing the EPA to make sure there's certainty in terms of the blend levels set," Walker stated.[132] This is a shift in position for Walker who previously had stood strongly opposing the mandate, arguing that "a big government mandate is not the way to support the farmers of this state...Central planning will not help our family farmers, protect our environment or provide jobs. The free-enterprise system must drive innovation to relieve our dependence on foreign oil, not mandates from the state or federal government."[154]

Mother Jones reports that "studies have found that ethanol is worse for the climate than fossil fuel. Though the mandate has been a boon to corn producers—40 percent of American corn is now used for biofuel—it also caused food prices to rise in the United States and abroad."[155]

Walker Criticizes Hillary Clinton for Using Private Email Despite Doing the Same as Milwaukee County Executive

The Weekly Standard reports that in an interview with Walker on March 8, 2015, he criticized Hillary Clinton for using a private email account while secretary of state and denied that he is a hypocrite for doing so.[156]

"It’s a logical assumption that the secretary of state is talking about highly confidential classified information. How can she ensure that that information wasn’t compromised?" Walker told The Weekly Standard following an event with supporters in Des Moines. "I think that’s the bigger issue—is the audacity to think that someone would put their personal interest above classified, confidential, highly sensitive information that’s not only important to her but to the United States of America. I think is an outrage that Democrats as well as Republicans should be concerned about.”[156]

The Center for Media and Democracy previously reported on Walker's secret email system that he used for campaigning for Governor while working as county executive in Milwaukee here. "On county time, the staffers allegedly communicated extensively with Walker campaign staff, organized fundraisers, made invitations, exchanged fundraising lists and sent out campaign press releases" using the private email network.[157] As Walker accuses Clinton of doing, his campaign used the private network (set up in an armoire) for his personal interest. "Two Walker aides who used the private router were later convicted of misconduct in office for doing political work while they were being paid by taxpayers."[158] In addition, "Emails released through litigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel show Walker routinely used his campaign account — skw@scottwalker.org — to discuss county business."[158]

"This is the ultimate glass house for the governor," said state Rep. Mandela Barnes (D-Milwaukee). "I can't see how the governor can make any kind of comment on Hillary Clinton's emails."[158]

Walker's "Most Significant Foreign Policy Decision" in his Lifetime Not Based on Facts

At the Club for Growth's annual meeting in Palm Beach, FL on February 28, 2015, Walker reportedly told a group of donors that "'the most significant foreign policy decision' of his lifetime was when Ronald Reagan fired 11,000 air traffic controllers."[159] Walker has repeatedly used Reagan's executive action to argue that leadership is more important than foreign policy experience as he did again at the meeting,

“Candidly, I think foreign policy is something that’s not just about having a PhD or talking to PhDs. It’s about leadership,” he said. “I would contend the most significant foreign policy decision in my lifetime was made by a president who was previously a governor. A president who made a decision that wasn’t even about foreign policy. It was in August of 1981, when Ronald Reagan fired the air traffic controllers.”[159]

In a previous interview on MSNBC, Walker supported his claim in stating that, "Years later, documents released from the Soviet Union showed that that exactly was the case. The Soviet Union started treating (Reagan) more seriously once he did something like that. Ideas have to have consequences."[160] Upon being asked by Politifact to produce the "documents released," both Walker's governor's office and campaign could not do so.[160] This is because such "documents" have not been released according to Svetlana Savranskaya, director of Russia programs at the National Security Archive at George Washington University, who told Politifact she "had to listen to the Walker interview twice, so ridiculous is the statement about the air traffic controllers. There is absolutely no evidence of this. I would love to see the released Soviet documents on this subject that he has apparently seen."[160] Jack Matlock, Reagan's ambassador to the Soviet Union at the time agrees, "It's utter nonsense. There is no evidence of that whatever...At that point, their big question was whether (Reagan) was going to attack them."[160]

Walker Compares Wisconsin Protestors to ISIS Terrorists

See video of Scott Walker's controversial comments at CPAC here.

See video of the 2011 Wisconsin protests here.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 26, 2015, Scott Walker claimed that his experience with the Wisconsin protests in 2011 prepared him for the fight against the murderous militants known as ISIS ("Islamic State"). Asked how he would handle ISIS if elected president, Walker replied, "For years I've been concerned about that threat, not just abroad but here on American soil.... If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world," he said, to applause from the audience.[161]

The statement was widely condemned. "To compare the hundreds of thousands of teachers, students, grandmothers, veterans, correctional officers, nurses and all the workers who came out to peacefully protest and stand together for their rights as Americans to ISIS terrorists is disgusting and unacceptable," said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO.[161]

"It's disgusting to hear Scott Walker compare the 100,000 hardworking men, women, senior citizens and children who came out to protest in Wisconsin to the terrorists of Isis," Jim Tucciarelli--president of a New York City local of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, whose office was one block away from the 9/11 attacks--told The Guardian. "The protesters were members of the military, police officers, firefighters, and first responders. They were librarians, teachers and nurses. How desperate do you have to be as a politician to compare those folks to murderous terrorists?"[162]

Walker clarified his remarks after the CPAC speech: "Let me be perfectly clear, I'm just pointing out the closest thing I have to handling this difficult situation is the 100,000 protesters I had to deal with," he told the Wisconsin State Journal.[163]

Walker Endorses 20-Week Abortion Ban after Downplaying Stance during Election

In a letter released by the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List on March 3, 2015, Walker announced that he would sign legislation banning most abortions after 20 weeks. During his 2014 re-election campaign, he had refused to state whether he supported such a ban, and his campaign ran an ad in which Walker stated that a mandatory ultrasound bill he had signed "leaves the final decision to a woman and her doctor."[164] The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel noted that Walker "took Tuesday's [March 3] stance soon after being criticized for his handling of abortion questions in a Fox News interview on Sunday," and called the move "the latest example of Walker downplaying a major issue until after winning the governor's race."[165] Politico reported that some groups opposed to abortion criticized Walker, with an American Principles Project blogger asking, “If he’ll pivot once, will he pivot back?”[166] The right-wing site Breitbart said that Walker "seemed to duck the issue" in his Fox News appearance and called his endorsement of a 20-week ban a move "to quell [a] pro-life revolt."[167]

Walker Backtracks on Previous Immigration Stances

Walker changed his position on undocumented immigrants despite claiming that he had not, as the Wausau Daily Herald reported on February 17, 2015. In an interview with the newspaper's editorial board in 2013, Walker was asked: "Can you envision a world where, with the right penalties and waiting periods and meet the requirements, where those people [undocumented immigrants] could get citizenship?" To this he responded, "Sure. Yeah. I mean, I think it makes sense."[136] (The video of the interview can be viewed here.)

Walker later claimed that he never said this and was misquoted. In a February 2015 interview with Bret Baier of Fox News, he said, "That's wrong. It's not what I said. I have said I believe we need a legal immigration system. I have said repeatedly I oppose amnesty."[168]

Despite saying that he had "repeatedly" opposed amnesty for undocumented immigrants, Politico reported that, as early as 2006, Walker supported similar reforms.[169] When serving as Milwaukee County Executive in 2006, Walker "signed a resolution calling on Congress to pass the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, a bill authored by John McCain and Teddy Kennedy that was denounced at the time by conservatives as 'amnesty' and remains anathema to party activists."[169]

Walker also signed a 2002 resolution as county executive that "called for allowing 'undocumented working immigrants to obtain legal residency in the United States,'" according to the National Review.[170]

In response to increased media attention on Walker's previously held views on immigration, Walker's 527 committee communication director Kirsten Kukowski released the following statement in an email to Talking Points Memo that blames Obama for his shift on undocumented immigrants:[171]

"President Obama's lack of leadership has completely changed how our immigration system now needs to be approached and Governor Walker has seen his fellow governors have to deal with the collateral damage of Obama's decisions and lack of leadership."

"Walker believes, according to Kukowski, 'First, Obama's executive action should be repealed' and that 'we need absolute security at our borders and then we can address fixing our legal immigration system and deal with those here illegally but amnesty is not the answer.'[171]

American Democracy Legal Fund Alleges that Walker and Our American Revival Broke Federal Election Laws

As noted below, Walker has set up a 527 fundraising vehicle as he explores a run for the White House. According to the American Democracy Legal Fund, a Democratic legal watchdog group tied to the American Bridge PAC,

"Scott Walker, Our American Revival, and Our American Revival treasurer Andrew Hitt, may have violated the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. Governor Walker recently created Our American Revival, a political organization organized under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code. The facts indicate that Gov. Walker is testing the waters for a campaign for president of the United States, using OAR as his exploratory committee, and in doing so is raising and spending funds that are beyond the contribution limits and source restrictions of the Federal Election Campaign Act."[172][173]

Kirsten Kukowski, communications director for Walker's campaign, responded in an email to the Wisconsin State Journal following the filing by referring to Walker's presidential candidacy in hypotheticals, "(Walker) has built an organization tasked with building an issue environment and platform for candidates in 2016...IF he feels his policies are resonating, THEN PERHAPS he enters a pre-candidacy phase and THEN PERHAPS a candidacy phase."[174]

Walker Dodges Press on Trade Mission to the UK

The Daily Mail and other U.K. outlets complained about Walker dodging press while on U.K. soil. During a Q and A at an appearance at the Chatham House in the UK on February 11, 2015, Walker avoided answering questions on science. When asked if he believed in evolution, Walker responded, "I'm going to punt on that one, as well...That's a question a politician shouldn't be involved in one way or the other. So I'm going to leave that up to you."[175] Despite saying that he wouldn't answer the question, he felt a need to clarify his comment on Twitter later, "Both science & my faith dictate my belief that we are created by God. I believe faith & science are compatible, & go hand in hand."[176] Time's Jack Dickey inquired to Walker's high-school science teacher Ann Serpe about whether or not he had learned about evolution and she responded, "We taught the theory of evolution, and human evolution, as a prerequisite to understanding biological classification. I went out and looked at my biology textbook just to make sure."[177] Serpe went on to state in the same piece that Walker "as an intelligent man" would know that evolution and creationism are not compatible.[177]

When asked questions on current foreign policy issues such as the crisis in Ukraine, ISIS, and the ban on U.S. oil exports at the Chatham House, a foreign policy think tank, Walker responded, "Per being old fashioned and having respect for the president, I just don't think you talk about foreign policy when you're on foreign soil."[178]. He refused to answer these foreign policy questions at a foreign policy think tank even though he wrote on Twitter earlier in the day, "Happy to field a variety of questions today at the Chatham House."[176]

Walker's "trade mission" to the UK cost Wisconsin taxpayers $138,200, while no new investments in Wisconsin have been made "so far."[179]

Deliberate 'Drafting Error' Struck 'Search for Truth' From University of Wisconsin Mission Statement

Changes to Section 1111 of 2015-2017 Executive Budget

In his proposed executive budget for 2015-2017, Walker removed "the search for truth" and the Wisconsin Idea from the University of Wisconsin system's mission statement.[180] Following a report by the Center for Media and Democracy, "Walker Strikes Truth and Wisconsin Idea from UW Mission in Budget" on February 4, 2015 highlighting these changes, Walker defended them when confronted in an appearance in DePere, Wisconsin, "The [mission statement's] focus would be honed in, in particular to look at making sure that we prepare individuals in this state -- be they fresh out of high school or coming back later in life -- for the jobs and opportunities that are available in the state,"[101][181] However, as the story spread and was picked up by national media outlets, Walker backed off the changes to the mission statement later in the day, calling them a "drafting error" when asked to comment on them by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Daniel Bice.[182] It became clear, though, that the changes to the mission statement were deliberate as multiple drafts of the related section were uncovered by the Wisconsin State Journal.[183] Also, Walker claimed "that was language [in the Mission Statement] they [the UW-System] went through, looked at, and somehow overlooked."[184] In truth, on January 29, 2015 John Yingling, special assistant to University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross, raised objections to the changes in an email to Nathan Schwanz, an employee in the state budget office within the Department of Administration, but was rebuffed.[185]

Walker Equates Government Assistance Programs with "a Hammock"

In a conference call with Iowans on February 2, 2015, Walker said that government assistance programs look more like "a hammock" than a safety net.[186] Greg Sargent of The Washington Post reported that this analogy of "the hammock" was likely borrowed from Sen. Paul Ryan (WI) who later "backed off" of it.[187]

Walker Will Not Rule Out Putting Boots on the Ground in Syria

On February 1, 2015 while appearing on ABC's Sunday program "This Week," Walker stated that he would not rule out deploying U.S. soldiers to Syria to fight ISIS. He told Martha Raddatz of ABC News, "We have to be — go beyond just aggressive air strikes. We have to look at other surgical methods. And ultimately, we have to be prepared to put boots on the ground if that's what it takes."[188] Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic criticized this foreign policy belief as "naive."[189] Salon's Jim Newell goes further than Friedersdorf in calling Walker's comments "insane" because he "only say(s) that we have to be "prepared," or that the option should be "on the table." Then what's the timetable for these preparations? When will that option be picked up from the table? If you say that the war is lost without ground troops, then what's with all this hesitation about sending them in right away?"[190]

Featured Speaker at 2015 "Koch Summit"

Walker attended and was one of four featured speakers at the Freedom Partners winter donor meeting also referred to by reporters as the "Koch Summit" or "Koch Primary" at the Rancho Mirage Resort in Palm Springs, California on the weekend of January 23, 2015.[191] Senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Marco Rubio of Florida were the other Republican candidates invited to speak "to the vaunted network assembled by the billionaire industrialist megadonors Charles and David Koch."[192][193]

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), which publishes SourceWatch.org, filed an open records request concerning Walker's attendance at the event along with Common Cause:

"The request seeks details of who paid for Governor Walker's travel expenses, and recent communications between the governor's office and the Kochs' secretive political apparatus, which plans to spend $889 million in advance of the 2016 elections," said the press release.[194]

Since at least 2006, the Koch brothers have hosted semi-annual meetings for wealthy right-wing donors, sometimes referred to as the Koch Network.[195] The meetings involve fundraising, reportedly in the millions of dollars, as well as discussions about political strategy.[196]

At the 2015 summit, it was revealed that the network planned to spend $889 million on the 2016 election campaign, a goal the New York Times called "unprecedented" and which "would put it on track to spend nearly as much as the campaigns of each party's presidential nominee."[197].

Scott Walker for America, Official Campaign for President of the United States

On July 13 2015, Walker officially announced his bid for President of the United States and his campaign, Scott Walker for America, was launched.[60]

Campaign Team

Iowa Leadership Team

David Polyansky, senior Iowa advisor ("a GOP strategist with Iowa ties" who had previously worked on Iowa campaigns for presidential contenders Mike Huckabee and Michele Bachmann and a U.S. House campaign for Rep. Joni Ernst) [215]

Eric Woolson, Iowa advisor (longtime Iowa GOP operative with close ties to the Christian conservative community)[210]

On August 4, 2015, Walker announced his 65-person Iowa leadership team.[216]

The team includes the following:

State Sen. Jerry Behn, of Boone

State Sen. Mark Costello, of Imogene

State Sen. Randy Feenstra, of Hull

State Sen. Julian Garrett, of Indianola

State Sen. Mark Segebart, of Vail

State Sen. Tom Shipley, of Nodaway

State Sen. Amy Sinclair, of Allerton

State Sen. Brad Zaun, of Urbandale

State Sen. Dan Zumbach, of Ryan

State Rep. Terry Baxter, of Garner

State Rep. Brian Best, of Glidden

State Rep. Dave Deyoe, of Nevada

State Rep. Dean Fisher, of Garwin

State Rep. Lee Hein, of Monticello

State Rep. John Landon, of Ankeny

For the full Iowa Leadership Team list see here.

Minnesota Leadership Team

Kurt Daudt, State Chairman (State House Speaker) [217]

Dave Thompson, Co-chair (State Senator) [217]

Kurt Zellers, Co-chair (former State House leader) [217]

Marty Seifert, Co-chair (former State House leader) [217]

Chris Tiedeman, Co-chair (Republican National Committeeman)[217]

New Hampshire Leadership Team

Liz Christoffersen, senior Advisor (former senior adviser to the Marilinda Garcia for Congress campaign in 2014 and former Campaign Manager for the John Stephen for Governor in 2010) [218]

Andy Leach, senior advisor (longtime GOP New Hampshire strategist) [219]

Michael Bir, senior advisor (former political director of the Michigan Republican Party)[219]

South Carolina Leadership Team

Dan Tripp, head of operations (former S.C. lawmaker and worked on presidential campaigns of Herman Cain in 2012, John McCain in 2000 and Phil Gramm in 1996) [220]

Mike Lukach, South Carolina staffer (veteran of many campaigns; most recently worked on Republican Stewart Mills’ 2014 unsuccessful congressional race in Minnesota) [220]

Ralph Norman, South Carolina campaign staffer [221]

Garry Smith, South Carolina campaign staffer [221]

Joanne Jones, South Carolina campaign staffer [221]

Allen Olson, South Carolina campaign staffer[221]

Virginia Leadership Team

Mark D. Obenshain, chairman of Virginia campaign (republican state senator from Harrisonburg) [222]

Chris Leavitt, senior advisor (former campaign manager on Ed Gillespie’s 2014 Senate bid in Virginia)[223]

Scott Walker, Inc.

PO BOX 620590

Middleton, WI 53562

Phone: 608.446.7258

Email: swinfo@scottwalker.com

Web: http://www.scottwalker.com

Web: http://www.sw.gop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottkwalker

Twitter: @ScottWalker.com

Snapchat: govscottwalker

Outside Groups Backing White House Run

Walker formed a committee to prepare his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election on January 16, 2015.[224] The group, "Our American Revival," was formed as a 527 committee, which can raise unlimited funds -- including from corporations. In an announcement, Walker contrasted this group with other politicians' PACs, claiming, "Others have political action committees, PACs, which are really about promoting themselves and political candidates.... This case, it's about promoting an idea."[225]

The committee's paperwork listed two contacts, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "Molly Weininger of Aspect Consulting, a Madison-area firm with ties to Walker; and Andrew Hitt, a former Walker administration official who left his state job last month and now serves as the director of operations for ElderSpan Management LLC, which develops and manages senior living facilities in southern Wisconsin."[226]

"Our American Revival"

Our American Revival released a video online on Tuesday, January 27. The 2-minute clip "encapsulated" Walker's likely campaign message, according to the Wisconsin State Journal:

"The narrator references declining family incomes, stifled dreams and a foreign policy that 'apologizes for America,' with the latter message accompanied by images of President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
