MADISON, Wis. – After weeks of hoping the scandal over his reckless tablets-for-inmates program would go away, Democrat David Crowley has finally yielded to growing public pressure and announced that Milwaukee County will suspend inmate tablets in jails.
This has left many Wisconsinites wondering why Crowley took five whole months to end this boondoggle, which allowed inmates in jail for murder and domestic abuse to use tablets issued under Crowley’s program to threaten victims and terrorize innocent civilians.
The answer isn’t that Crowley realized the program was a mistake, but that it became a political liability for his struggling gubernatorial campaign. As recently as two weeks ago, Crowley refused to commit to ending tablets-for-inmates, even after repeated disturbing incidents that were well-documented by media reports. Now, with just weeks to go until Election Day, Crowley is reversing course to save face with voters.
“Make no mistake, David Crowley suspended this program to protect himself from a political scandal, not to protect Wisconsin families from violent criminals. This program should’ve never been allowed in the first place, and Crowley resisted ending it for months after victims were threatened and laws were broken. Crowley has shown us all who he really is: a craven politician who cares only about his own political future, not the safety of our state’s citizens,” said WisGOP Chairman Brian Schimming.
