Shameless Walker Propaganda & Photo Ops: Using Our Troops

From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department, on the day that Assistant DA Bruce Landgraf's sentencing memo for Tim Russell was made public, Scott Walker is trying to grab headlines for supporting out troops -- this despite the fact that his closest longtime aide - Tim Russell, will be sentenced on Tuesday for stealing " the very last of its available funds" from monies donated to support widows and orphans of service men and women killed in combat.

It isn't hard to demonstrate that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is disingenuous -- a politician that makes many dishonest statements.  Now Walker is rivaling Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan in chutzpah.


In mid-December, in order to justify the corporate agenda Scott Walker he promised out-of-state multinational business interests and billionaires at the Ronald Reagan Library, Walker staged a phony "Talk With Walker" tour that was entirely closed to the public.  Scott Walker doesn't care what Badger State residents think of his "divide and conquer" politics.

Scott Walker keeps his public appearances hidden until the last minute -- there are reports that he is out promoting himself around the state this week, but details of stops come out only the morning of the photo-ops.

Let's be clear -- Walker sees the clouds swirling.  Walker knows his role in the criminality (video) now known as "Walkergate".  Walker knows all about Tim Russell's predicament, the guilty plea, and next week's sentencing.  Walker also knows that the Judge hearing the case has questions -- more will come out early next week.

WSAW is reporting:

About 130 members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard are coming home.

They've been in the U.S. since early last week, but they've been de-mobilizing at a camp in Mississippi. They'll be welcomed back to Wisconsin on Friday afternoon during a celebration in Oshkosh.

And Scott Walker will be on hand to greet them. 

Largely unreported, at least before the fact, yesterday, Scott Walker was grandstanding at the dedication for Wisconsin’s third state-run nursing home, a $20 million facility, for veterans in Chippewa Falls.

Tuesday (January 22, 2012), his longtime friend and aide, Tim Russell, will be sentenced for stealing money from a veterans fund.

• Only Scott Walker is responsible for putting Russell in charge.
• The stealing of donations began immediately
• Money's were stolen to benefit Keith Gilkes, Walker's campaign manager and former Chief of Staffs.
• Stolen money was used for Scott Walker's campaign websites.
• Virtually all donations were mishandled.
• The trust fund for widows and orphans was misused as a slush fund to benefit Scott Walker.
• Tim Russell, in return for these crimes, "undoubtedly" expected to be rewarded with a high-paying state position.

No wonder Scott Walker is trying to get out in front of this and is staging an event welcoming veterans home.  There will be some "inconvenient" news on Tuesday, though much of that information was released publicly today.

Journal Communications/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel does not want you to know (h/t Blue Cheddar)

1. The paper does not note that Judge Hansher asked Bruce Landgraf to conduct a pre-sentencing investigation with the added comment, “I have some questions here. There are some things I’m not sure about.”
2. The paper does not include the facts that let you know Scott Walker was lying about his full cooperation with the DA. The paper says Tom Nardelli alerted the Milwaukee County DA of a shortfall of about $11,000 in “Operation Freedom” money in 2009 BUT neglects to note that the reason the investigation turned into a secret one – - known as a “John Doe” probe in Wisconsin — is because Scott Walker’s office stonewalled the DA. And the reason that you and I came to know this is because Timothy Russell’s own legal representation, Dennis Krueger, let the cat out of the bag by directing a document straight to reporter Daniel Bice – of the very same newspaper I am chastising right now:  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

Expect more "inconvenient" information to come out nest Tuesday -- the judge will surely have some questions and the prosecution will likely have more-detailed answers.  When close Walker aide Kelly Rindfleisch was due to be sentenced, Landgraf wrote a detailed sentencing memo but greatly enhanced the points it made via a 78-slide PowerPoint at the sentencing hearing.

No wonder Scott Walker, a man that has never served, is pretending to be a big fan of the military.  Scott Walker also promotes himself as an important business leader, despite the fact he has never had a responsible job in business his entire life.

Scott Walker does what is best for Scott Walker and his political aspirations and now he has to do what is best to for the donors to his criminal defense fund.

The rest of us be damned -- in this case, Walker has some culpability in the wholesale theft from widows and orphans left behind when soldiers were killed serving America.

Shameless, indeed.