Republican Candidates for Senate in Georgia at it Again
First, it was unemployment benefits. Each and every one of the Republican candidates for Senate in Georgia raised their hands when asked whether they oppose extending unemployment benefits for struggling Americans. Now, we've learned that the major candidates in this Republican primary have all declared their opposition to increasing the minimum wage. See for your self in this video from a candidate forum at the National Federation of Independent Businesses Georgia Small Business Day last month:
It's Time to Stop Joking and Come Clean, Governors
What do scandal-embroiled Republican Governors Chris Christie and Pat McCrory have in common? Why, cracking jokes about their involvement in their respective scandals, of course. Back in December, Christie joked off his involvement in the BridgeGate lane closures, saying “I worked the cones. Unbeknownst to anyone, I was working the cones." Now, this week, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said regarding scrutiny over the third largest coal ash spill in U.S. history, "“It’s as though I actually went there with a shovel. I’m waiting for that accusation." Enough is enough. It's time these GOP Governors stop joking and come clean with the truth about their involvement in these scandals.
Minimum Wage Increase-Opponent Rauner Counts Himself Part of the "0.01%"
Illinois gubernatorial candidate and multi-millionaire Bruce Rauner - who has said he "adamantly" opposes increasing the minimum wage - recently proclaimed himself a member of the "0.01%" wealthiest Americans in an interview with the Chicago Sun Times. Rauner owns nine homes and made $53 million last year. But that didn't stop him from saying at a gubernatorial candidate forum last fall that he is "adamantly against" increasing the minimum wage, a policy intended to help hardworking Americans better support their families and achieve a higher quality of life. Check out Rauner's out-of-touch comments against the minimum wage, which American Bridge caught on tape:
The Big Three Questions for Scott Walker
Scott Walker on Monday called it a "slippery slope" to answer specifics about the more than 27,000 pages of emails from the "John Doe" scandal released last week because as he claims, "once you start on one thing, then there's hundreds of questions on each of those." Then on Tuesday, when he finally took questions from Wisconsin reporters, Walker continued to dodge the key question surrounding this scandal: did he know about the secret email network his staff used to conduct campaign business on government time? The evidence from the 27,000 pages of emails released last week makes a compelling case that Walker must have known. Given the volume of emails he received and responded to on it, and his directive to staff to stop using the laptops the morning before a search warrant was executed, it's nearly impossible for Walker's previous claims of ignorance to hold water. While Walker continues to deliver evasive responses to questions about his involvement in the John Doe scandal, three big questions remain unanswered: 1. Did Scott Walker know his government staff was breaking Wisconsin law by using a secret email network to conduct campaign business on government time? 2. How can Walker claim he didn't know about the secret email network when he exchanged numerous emails with then deputy chief of staff Kelly Rindfleisch’s "secret" email account during work hours? 3. Did Walker deliberately use his campaign email account to bypass public records laws, or were his campaign emails discussing county work made available to Milwaukee County’s public records officer? -Brad Woodhouse President, American Bridge 21st Century
Take the Quiz: Walker or Christie?
When Republicans bragged about their governors taking the lead for the party, the growing parallel scandals surrounding Chris Christie and Scott Walker probably weren't what they had in mind. Take American Bridge's new quiz and see just how hard it's getting to tell these two scandals apart - WalkerOrChristie.com
"Old News," Governor Walker? You wish.
Statement From American Bridge President Brad Woodhouse:
"Scott Walker says the revelations this week from the John Doe investigation are old news. Nothing could be further from the truth. "It's not old news that Scott Walker's most trusted and seniors aides traded in gross, anti-women, anti-gay, anti-Semitic, racist emails. It's not old news that Scott Walker ordered an employee fired for no other reason than she had been an underwear model. And it wasn't old news that Scott Walker ordered daily coordination between his campaign and the County Executive's office, that he knew about the secret and illegal email system used there on his behalf, or that he ordered it shutdown once the crap was getting ready to hit the fan. No, none of this was old news. "What has gotten old is Scott Walker's refusal to answer questions, his refusal to come clean with the public and his insistence on putting his personal ambition over the interests of his constituents. Another thing certainly is showing some age - his prospects for reelection and his hopes for higher office."
Walker's Front Page Troubles
It may not have happened in the NYC media market but a quick perusal of the news in WI this morning shows that the reporters on the ground who know Walker best think his knowledge of illegal staff email use is a big, and front page, story. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (that endorsed Walker) sums it up best:
"Throughout the secret investigation, as the Journal Sentinel reported, Walker maintained that he had zero tolerance for government employees doing campaign work while on the taxpayer clock. But the records detail almost daily interactions between his top county and campaign staffers...The longer he dodges questions, the more he undercuts his reputation as a straight-shooter. There are questions that need answering that only the governor can answer. The people of Wisconsin deserve those answers."Wisconsin State Journal - FRONT PAGE - Emails show how Scott Walker blurred lines between campaign and county business Appleton Post Crescent - FRONT PAGE - Emails reveal mix of campaign, county time Oshkosh Northwestern - FRONT PAGE - Probe ties Walker to private wireless system Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - FRONT PAGE - [American Bridge] pours over emails as it targets Walker Fond du Lac Reporter - FRONT PAGE - Democrats compare Walker to Christie Janesville Gazette - FRONT PAGE - Democrats compare Walker to Christie Herald Times Reporter - FRONT PAGE - Democrats compare Walker inquiry to NJ Governor
Announcing: JohnDoeWalker.com
In advance of new emails being released today in the "John Doe" investigation into Scott Walker's time as Milwaukee County Executive (where six Walker allies were convicted in various schemes), American Bridge has launched a new website on the investigation - JohnDoeWalker.com. Walker is the latest in a line of Republican governors to see his record marred by scandal, and the parallels between Walker's John Doe investigation and Chris Christie's Bridgegate run deep. Walker has claimed ignorance of his staff's corrupt actions, but countless questions remain. American Bridge will be taking a close look at the emails to see if they support Walker's claims, and sharing our findings on JohnDoeWalker.com today and the days ahead.
Another Republican Governor Under Investigation
To: Interested Parties From: Brad Woodhouse, President of American Bridge 21st Century Date: February 18, 2014 Re: New Information on Scott Walker’s FIRST John Doe Investigation Here we go again. A Republican governor under investigation. Again. New emails and documents released. Again. This time, it’s embattled Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the FIRST John Doe investigation into his tenure as Milwaukee County Executive. On Wednesday, new documents resulting from the John Doe investigation into Walker’s Milwaukee County Executive administration will be released. That investigation resulted in the convictions of six individuals with close ties to Walker, including two of his former deputy chiefs of staff. The investigation began when $11,000 in funds for a veterans’ charity supervised by the administration went missing. As the investigation continued, prosecutors stumbled upon additional staff misdeeds. Using a “secret email system” in his official office, Walker’s government staff conducted campaign work and fundraised for him while on taxpayer time. The investigation also brought to light a campaign finance reimbursement scheme and even a lurid attempt by a Walker ally to sexually solicit a seventeen-year-old. The investigation closed with no criminal charges filed against Walker, yet he still paid thousands in legal defense fees related to the investigation. Now, mere months after the first three-year long investigation was closed, there is a second John Doe investigation related to spending and coordination of outside groups in Walker’s 2011 recall election. The emails being released tomorrow are those of Kelly Rindfleisch, a former Walker Deputy Chief of Staff who pled guilty to misconduct for fundraising and campaigning for Walker while working on taxpayer time. The emails are from her private account, which she accessed using the so-called “secret email system.” While Walker has claimed he was unaware of his staff’s corrupt actions, countless questions remain. Keep reading for a few things to look for in the new emails tomorrow...
TIMELINE: What Did Christie Know and When?
As BridgeGate documents subpoenaed by the New Jersey State Legislature are due to be turned over to investigators today, it's worth reviewing the timeline of what Governor Chris Christie has said he knew about this growing scandal and when he says he knew it. While Christie has doubled down on his claims that he knew nothing of the lane closures while they were happening, his public statements on this timeline have been inconsistent and imprecise. Christie has refused to answer media questions about the scandal for weeks, and his weekend straw man attacks on his appointee David Wildstein's high school years instill little confidence that another shoe isn't waiting to drop.