MADISON – Senator Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) released the following statement after UW-Madison announced the demotion of their chief diversity officer, due to alleged financial mismanagement:

“This revelation highlights exactly why I, and legislative Republicans, voted to audit DEI government-wide. Not only is DEI harmful as it reinforces negative stereotypes by design, it’s also a slush fund of waste for grifters to profit off government funding.”

This week, UW-Madison announced that chief diversity officer LaVar Charleston would be immediately demoted from his position as a result of financial mismanagement allegations. Recent reporting linked this discovery to the ongoing work by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau’s investigation into DEI policies and practices within state agencies, including the Universities of Wisconsin.

The Legislative Audit Committee, under Senator Wimberger’s leadership, ordered the government-wide audit last April. Approval of the audit passed on party lines without any support from committee Democrats. The audit will look at DEI practices across state agencies, including how much taxpayer money and staff are being used for so-called diversity initiatives and complying with Governor Evers’ Executive Order 59. The full audit report is expected to be released in the coming weeks.