Threats target Milwaukee-area politicos

At least five Wisconsin Republican elected officials, including four from the Milwaukee area, were the targets of a threat posted on Craigslist this week.
Those targeted included Gov. Scott Walker of Milwaukee, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch of Oconomowoc, state Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills and state Sen. Leah Vukmir of Wauwatosa. Newly elected U.S. Sen. Ron Jonson (R-Oshkosh), also was targeted.
Vukmir said today she could not go into the specifics of what was posted or what precautions she was taking in light of the threat. Still, she said she was keeping the same schedule and calendar and continuing to reach out to constituents.
“If it makes people afraid to reach out to their elected representative, then to me that’s a threat to the whole democratic process,” she said.
The Senate chief clerk warned state senators Wednesday about the threat and urged them to take precautions. The letter did not identify the targets other than saying two members of the State Senate were targeted, along with other public officials.
A Walker source with knowledge of the threat told WisPolitics it included Walker and Kleefisch and was being taken seriously enough to “warrant demonstrating we were taking it seriously” and that the administration was extra sensitive to threats against elected officials in light of last weekend’s shootings in Arizona. A Capitol Police officer was stationed outside of Kleefisch’s office today. Walker, who was in DePere, Wausau and Eau Claire today, regularly travels with a security detail.
A spokeswoman for Johnson confirmed he was also a target.
“The FBI, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, Oshkosh Police Department, and United States Capitol Police are working diligently to investigate this matter,” Johnson said in a statement. “I have complete confidence that they will do their jobs to the fullest extent.”
– WisPolitics