Pasch Illegal Coordination Scandal Grows

[Madison]- Sandy Pasch has been claiming she did nothing wrong in the illegal coordination scandal with so-called independent group Citizen Action of Wisconsin. But a new Open Records Request shows that not only does that coordination go much deeper than first reported, its tentacles spread to her taxpayer-funded Capitol aide as well.

“Sandy Pasch is making a mockery of our state’s ethics and campaign laws. Why in the world would we trust her to write new ones in the Senate?" said Stephan Thompson, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. "Sandy Pasch needs to resign from the board of Citizen Action, apologize for breaking the law, and reimburse the taxpayers for the time her staff was working for Citizen Action instead of her constituents.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ran an editorial [1] that was highly critical of Pasch’s role in two scandals that have popped up this week: allegations of illegal campaign coordination stemming from Pasch’s close ties with Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and allegations of “election bribery” in the BBQ-for-votes scandal.

Of the coordination, the editorial said “the relationship is simply too cozy and could raise questions in voters' minds. Her presence on the board - and the fact that her campaign treasurer is also the treasurer for Citizen Action - muddies the waters of what is already an ugly campaign.”

The paper added that “Pasch should know that every "t" must be crossed and every "i" dotted in any campaign,” and said “Rules matter, and all sides need to abide by them.”
New developments also emerged today from an Open Records Request from the independent group Media Trackers. Those records showed that:

• Robert Kraig, the Executive Director of Citizen Action of WI, sent email updates and board business to Pasch’s Capitol email address;

• Pasch’s Capitol aide, Fred Ludwig, communicated with Citizen Action staffer Jennifer Epps about filming a video statement from Pasch, including promotional strategies. That conversation occurred nearly a month into the election;

• Citizen Action emailed talking points on the Budget Repair Bill and Capitol protests to Pasch’s office on February 12.

State law specifically prohibits taxpayer resources from going to campaign activity, and coordination between state resources, political campaigns and independent groups is specifically outlawed.

“Sadly, these scandals prove who Sandy Pasch is really listening to - her far-left friends and special interests, not the people of the 8th Senate District. Who’s she really going to represent if she wins, and what’s she going to do to pay them back?” Thompson said

[1] http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/126623283.html