GOP alleges collusion between unions and Barrett campaign

A secret recording of a union activist bragging about taking down Scott Walker has resulted in the state Republican Party asking the Government Accountability Board (GAB) to investigate potential collusion between a Milwaukee chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Tom Barrett’s campaign.
The GOP request follows a complaint filed Tuesday with the Milwaukee Ethics Board seeking an investigation of John David Morgan and Milwaukee County Supervisor John Weishan.
Morgan, a lobbyist for SIEU Local 1, was recorded by Michael Brickman, a staffer for Walker’s campaign, outside a Milwaukee tavern discussing efforts to criticize the Walker over this summer’s fatal collapse at the O’Donnell Park parking structure and problems at the Mental Health Complex.
Morgan also said the effort included Milwaukee County Board members; reports indicate Morgan has since been fired by the union.
"You have a person in the middle of this web of political and independent groups," Republican Party of Wisconsin executive director Mark Jefferson told reporters. "We believe this constitutes an illegal coordination between an independent group and the Barrett campaign because he was being paid."
The RPW has also filed open records requests related to the Morgan recording with county Supervisors Weishan, Chris Larson and Johnny Thomas, as well as state Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee), who was mentioned as drafting a bill related to the O’Donnell Park tragedy.
Jefferson said that while he did not know how influential Morgan was in the union, "What we’re seeing from him has a certain degree of logic to us."
Barrett campaign spokesman Phil Walzak said, “The Republicans are scraping the bottom of the barrel here to try to gin something up when there’s nothing there."
– WisPolitics.com