Walker, The John Doe, And the Implications Of Implication

The biggest news out of Kelly Rindfleisch's felony misconduct sentencing Monday was the Power Point shown in court by Milwaukee County prosecutor read into the record.

It detailed the political direction coming to County officials from then-County Executive Scott Walker's campaign staff and the political activities taking place by County staffers on the public dime - - all combined to benefit Walker's 2010 gubernatorial run - - by design.

E-mail records cited in the Power Point showed that Walker was among a group of county and campaign officials who talked regularly to coordinate their efforts to advance Walker's campaign, and the paper, editorially, sums it all up with a pertinent question:

But what's clear from the emails is that Walker's campaign staff was helping to manage county government for the benefit of only one citizen - Scott Walker. How is that acceptable conduct?

Fat chance getting Walker to answer, or to take any responsibility - - but the Journal Sentinel certainly has a special right and obligation to ask the question, as the paper endorsed Walker and recommended him to voters and readers three times for County Executive and twice for Governor.

The second of Walker's gubernatorial endorsements came as the recall election approached lin June and it dismissed any notion that the ongoing John Doe probe was close enough to Walker to tip the endorsement or election away from Walker:

Democrats claim the recall election is about far more than Act 10. The most serious of the charges on their bill of particulars is the ongoing John Doe investigation being conducted by the Milwaukee County district attorney's office. The investigation, which has been going on for nearly two years, has looked into a variety of activities during the time Walker was county executive. Prosecutors have charged three ex-Walker aides and two others; more charges may be coming. Walker has set up a legal-defense fund.

But the governor has insisted that he is not a target of the investigation and that he is cooperating. While the investigation surely is troubling, no evidence revealed so far implicates Walker. Overzealous political associates sometimes get in trouble. The John Doe probe doesn't justify a vote against the governor.

The level of coordination laid out by the DA's office involving senior campaign and public staffers, plus Walker himself, negates the finger of blame pointed at "overzealous political associates" - - associates, by the way, brought on to Walker's staff or into his campaign by Walker himself, or by people to whom Walker assigned hiring and staffing.

Overzealous is as overzealous does.

The DA's Power Point also undercuts that "no evidence revealed so far implicates Walker" argument.

So did the headline Monday in the Journal Sentinel when the story broke:

Walker, key aides implicated during Doe sentencing