Three Wisconsin county prosecutors decline to pursue felony charges against Trump fundraising committee and Republican lawmaker News
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Three Wisconsin county prosecutors decline to pursue felony charges against Trump fundraising committee and Republican lawmaker

The Wisconsin Ethics Commission announced in a memo Friday that the Wisconsin county prosecutors of Chippewa, Florence and Langlade Counties have declined to pursue felony charges for conspiring to evade campaign finance laws against the fundraising committee for former President Donald Trump and Wisconsin state Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R) due to “a conflict of interest.”

The commission had previously found probable cause that former President Trump and Brandtjen conspired to evade campaign finance laws in their effort to unseat Speaker of the Assembly Robin Vos (R) with Rep. Adam Steen (R). Vos had angered Trump when he fired a former State Supreme Court justice hired to investigate Trump’s allegations of election fraud.

Wisconsin law allows unlimited donations to political parties and donations of up to $1,000 to a State Assembly Representative’s campaign. The Ethics Commission alleged Trump, Brandjen and others in the Republican Party took advantage of the unlimited donations to political parties. Donors who wanted to donate more than $1,000 were instructed to donate to the Langlade County Republican Party, with “63” written on the memo line. 63 is Steen’s Assembly District number. Using this tactic, Steen raised over $40,000, including $5,000 from Trump’s Save America PAC.

The Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he will not pursue prosecution because he is a member of the Republican Party, which could potentially be charged in the matter. Florence County District Attorney Doug Drexler said in a letter that he is declining to prosecute because he has been a member of the Republican Party in the county for over 30 years and has performed legal services for the party in that time. The Langlade County District Attorney Kelly Hays informed the commission in a letter that she would not prosecute due to a conflict of interest but did not detail what the conflict was.

This is not the end of prosecution in these three counties. The memo stated the charges will be referred to one of each county’s contiguous districts.

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