Payback for investigation of Gov. Walker

Scott Walker has outdone himself this time. Wisconsin’s governor has offered a not so subtle threat aimed at those who prosecute crimes in the state. He suggests that he may choose to cut funding for district attorney’s across the state, if they choose to further pursue a criminal investigation into his behavior. It has to do with the now-closed John Doe investigation, which was looking into whether Walker violated campaign finance laws. The District Attorneys in Milwaukee, Dane and Iowa counties are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the investigation to resume. Walker suggested that if they want to spend their time investigating him, he may choose to withhold state resources. The chilling warning comes despite the fact that Walker’s own Attorney General, Brad Schimel, is calling for the state to spend more to fill vacancies in DA offices across the state, not less. This threat is clearly a warning that if they want to investigate any alleged wrongdoing by Walker that they will have to pay. The amount of funding any state agency receives should be based on the need, and what taxpayers can afford, not on the political views of those working in that agency.