MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Latest on the Supreme Court rejecting an attempt to restart an investigation into Gov. Scott Walker (all times local):
1:45 p.m.
Gov. Scott Walker is applauding those who fought against an investigation into his campaign and conservative groups.
Walker says in a prepared statement, “I applaud the individuals and organizations who fought for and successfully defended their First Amendment rights against political opponents who wanted to silence them.”
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take the case, ending the long-stalled John Doe investigation into Walker. The state Supreme Court ordered the probe stopped last year.
Walker says that the same conclusion is reached with every ruling. He says the investigation is “without merit” and “must be ended.”
___
12:00 p.m.
The three district attorneys who wanted the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the stopped investigation into Gov. Scott Walker say they are disappointed the court isn’t taking the case, but aren’t saying whether any further legal action is planned.
The case revolved around whether Walker illegally coordinated with outside conservative groups in how money raised during recall elections was spent.
The district attorneys in Milwaukee, Dane and Iowa counties released a joint statement Monday. They say, “We are proud to have taken this fight as far as the law would allow and we look forward to the day when Wisconsin adopts a more enlightened view of the need for transparency in campaign finance.”
The statement comes from Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne and Iowa County District Attorney Larry Nelson.
___
11:15 a.m.
Advocates for tightening of campaign finance laws are bemoaning the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear a case centering on fundraising by Gov. Scott Walker and coordination with conservative groups.
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign executive director Matt Rothschild calls it a “major setback for democracy, transparency and accountability.”
The state Supreme Court last year ended the probe, saying there was nothing illegal about Walker coordinating with outside groups on issue advocacy.
Center for Media and Democracy attorney Arn Pearson says that interpretation of the law is “at total odds with the rest of the country.”
Campaign Legal Center attorney Brendan Fischer says anyone who has looked at evidence in the case would say it is not how the political system should work.
___
10:30 a.m.
The leader of the conservative group at the center of the long-halted investigation into Gov. Scott Walker’s recall campaign is praising the Supreme Court’s decision to not allow it to restart.
Wisconsin Club for Growth president Eric O’Keefe on Monday praised the court’s ruling rejecting an appeal brought by three Democratic district attorneys.
O’Keefe says “From its inception, this proceeding was a politically motivated attack and a criminal investigation in search of a theory.”
He is calling for documents seized during the investigation to be returned.
Prosecutors in Milwaukee, Dane and Iowa counties who asked the Supreme Court to take the case had no immediate comment.
___
9:30 a.m.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker isn’t commenting publicly on the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of an appeal to reopen the investigation into his recall campaign.
The court on Monday turned down the appeal, leaving in place a state Supreme Court decision from last year ending the probe of the Republican governor.
Walker’s spokesman Joe Fadness says the governor has no comment on the decision. Walker has no public events scheduled for Monday, and he has not posted anything on Twitter since Sunday.
A telephone message left for Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, the prosecutor who launched the probe, wasn’t immediately returned.
Neither was a message left for Iowa County District Attorney Larry Nelson, who represented the prosecutors in the U.S. Supreme Court appeal attempt.
___
8:41 a.m.
The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal to reopen an investigation into whether Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign to fend off his ouster from office illegally coordinated with outside conservative groups.
The justices on Monday left in place a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that shutting down the probe of the Republican governor. Walker won his recall election in 2012.
A group of prosecutors began an investigation the same year into whether Walker’s campaign coordinated with Wisconsin Club for Growth and other conservative groups on advertising during the recall without reporting the groups’ contributions.
Conservative-leaning justices who control the Wisconsin Supreme Court halted the investigation last year. They ruled that the coordination amounts to free speech and isn’t subject to disclosure requirements.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.