Contact: State Sen. David Craig, (608) 266-5400
Madison, WI — Today, State Senator David Craig (R-Town of Vernon) circulated a bill to create a bicameral legislative committee to investigate the John Doe scandal at the former Government Accountability Board (GAB). With the release of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) “Report of the Attorney General Concerning Violations of the John Doe Secrecy Orders”, it was evident the limited scope of the DOJ investigation warranted a more in-depth review of GAB actions by the legislature.
“The clear abuses found by the Attorney General demonstrated ‘the weaponization of GAB by partisans in furtherance of political goals’ and showed the gross abuse in collecting the private personal information of innocent Wisconsinites. This information demands a legislative inquiry to uncover the extent of the actions of participants in the illegal John Doe probe,” said Senator Craig.
This bill will allow the legislature to exercise its subpoena authority to conduct an oversight investigation into the actions of the former GAB and those involved in the John Doe probe.
“This committee investigation is the only way that we can bring some level of closure to the John Doe scandal, to make sure people in Wisconsin understand what happened, to make sure the legislature understands what happened, and to make sure it never happens again,” said Senator Craig. “When government abuses the constitutional rights of free citizens, there must be consequences.”
Under the bill, the committee is charged with fact-finding within very strict parameters and privacy protocols to protect the information of the victims of the John Doe investigations and prevent further victimization at the hands of the government.
Senator Craig represents the 28th Senate District which includes parts of Waukesha, Milwaukee, Racine, and Walworth counties.
