Wisconsin

Wis. Attorney General Says Politics Didn't Play Into DOJ Not Being Part Of Walker Probe

Eric Kleefeld | September 22, 2011, 1:00PM

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen (R) has confirmed that state Department of Justice staff are not participating in the apparent investigation of former aides to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), from Walker's time as Milwaukee County Executive -- but says it was by the "mutual agreement" of both his office and the Milwaukee District Attorney's office.

Van Hollen's comments follow a report that his office had declined a request for assistance from the Milwaukee District Attorney's office.

"The actual decision came down to very legitimate legal and logistical ones," Van Hollen told ABC affiliate in Madison. "Once this is all completed and the information comes out, it'll be very clear why our decision was made."

When the station's reporter asked whether the fact that both Van Hollen and Walker are Republicans played into his decision, Van Hollen responded: "Politics never plays a role in any of the decisions we make at the Department of Justice."

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Topics: Cynthia A. Archer, Darlene Wink, J.B. Van Hollen, John Doe Investigation, Scott Walker, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Report: Wis. Attorney General Declined To Help With Walker Investigation

Eric Kleefeld | September 21, 2011, 11:41AM

In the latest development in the apparent investigation of former aides to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) from his time as Milwaukee County Executive, it has now been reported that state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, a fellow Republican, has previously declined a request from Milwaukee's Democratic district attorney to assist in the investigation.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

State Department of Justice officials would not say why the agency chose not to assist with the investigation of Walker's former county staffers.

Sources said the request was made around the time of the November 2010 election.

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Topics: Cynthia A. Archer, Darlene Wink, J.B. Van Hollen, John Doe Investigation, Scott Walker, Wisconsin

J.B. Van Hollen

Wisc. AG's Office Asked GOP Consultant For Advice On HCR Lawsuit

Zachary Roth | April 28, 2010, 12:57PM

When Wisconsin attorney general J.B. Van Hollen announced last month that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of several other AGs by suing the federal government over health-care reform, he presented the issue as a pressing legal and constitutional priority. "Wisconsin must act to protect its sovereign interests and the interests of the citizens of this state by bringing an action to contest the constitutionality of the (law)," Van Hollen, a Republican, wrote in a letter to the governor.

That may be how he sees things. But emails released this week by Van Hollen's office suggest that politics was hardly absent from the initiative.

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Topics: Bill McCollum, Health Care Reform, Henry McMaster, J.B. Van Hollen, Jim Doyle, Voting