Koschnick, Gossett, the Swift Boaters and Abramoff

Right-wing Judge and candidate for WI Supreme Court Randy Koschnick has recruited our Republican DA to be the treasurer for his spring campaign, according to the footer of his website.

That would mean that Gossett is in charge of fundraising. Funny thing, they are using a service called donationreport.com for online collections.

This is a service of the Donatalli Group. Where do we know them from? The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth:

The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's SWIFTBOATVETSFORTRUTH.ORG website was registered July 30, 2004, with CD, Inc. (Connell Donatelli Inc.) as registrant, administrator, and the tech organization. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's SWIFTBOATVETERANSFORTRUTH.COM website was also registered July 30, 2004, with CD, Inc. as registrant, administrator, and tech organization for the website.

The Donatelli Group were also fundraisers for Abramoff lackey Ralph Reed:

The Network was coordinated by Gary Marx, "a political consultant for George W. Bush's campaign at Century Strategies in 1999, when its founder and president Ralph E. Reed was allegedly helping his long-time friend Jack Abramoff swindle over $1.2 million from the Choctaw Indians" and "coalitions organizer for the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2004" [12], and Wendy E. Long, a "former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas" [13].

Other Donatelli/Donationreport.com hits include a David Horowitz Red Cross scam.

Why is it important that DA Gosset is the Treasurer using this service? A Treasurer has an important role in a Judicial campaign. Judges are not allowed to collect money themselves. All of this needs to be done by the Treasurer.

It was Gossett that had to approve this. I would hope he would look deeper into the people he chooses to work with.

Is Winnebago DA Gossett for Forced Juvinile Confessions?

Winnebago County DA Christian Gossett signed a letter in support of a Supreme Court candidate that is being questioned by One Wisconsin Now as a possible violation of Supreme Court campaign rules.

There are a few points I would like to make about Gossett's foray into judicial politics:

1. He endorsed Annette Ziegler last year - we know how that turned out.

2. The OshNW, just on Dec 7th, stated:

Let's hope the days of Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates cheaply accusing one another of "being soft on crime" or taking gobs of influential cash from litigious interest groups are on their way out.

Yet here he is, part of a letter saying a sitting Supreme Court Justice was:

detrimental to our job of protecting the public

I would hope for a more clear and positive message and stop taking away from his job of protecting Winnebago County citizens.

3. But I am most disturbed by what DA Gossett says is so 'detrimental' about the Justice's votes and opinions such as:

Butler voted to require all interviews of juveniles to be recorded to be admissible in court for custodial interrogations.

Seriously, does DA Gossett really think it is a bad thing to make sure that confessions are not forced? If you look at the case, In the Interest of Jerrell C J, the WI State Bar summed up the case as:

the court agrees with the court of appeals in its decision in the same case that "it is time for Wisconsin to tackle the false confession issue" and "take appropriate action so that the youth of our state are protected from confessing to crimes they did not commit." In the instant case, State v. Jerrell C. J., the court threw out the written confession of a juvenile who claimed the confession was involuntary.

Does DA Gossett really want to have the opportunity to force confessions from juveniles?

And, while I am asking, because this passed with a 4-3 margin, does that mean that DA Gossett's candidate would have been the deciding vote to have secret coerced confessions from juvenile defendants?