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Jensen Witness List Includes Thompson; Former Governor, State Supreme Court Justice Among 31 Names

Posted on: Wednesday, 18 January 2006, 15:00 CST

By STEVEN WALTERS

Madison The attorney for state Rep. Scott Jensen (R-Town of Brookfield) told a judge Tuesday that his witness list for Jensen's upcoming trial includes former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson, state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser and the manager of Gov. Jim Doyle's re- election campaign.

The list includes 31 current and former state officials. It was filed in Dane County Circuit Court by lawyer Stephen Meyer in advance of Jensen's Feb. 21 Capitol corruption trial.

The names on the list would indicate that Meyer wants to bolster his contention that Jensen did nothing worse than what was done over the years by other legislative leaders.

The 2002 investigation into Capitol corruption resulted in five legislators being charged. Four of them have been convicted.

A former Assembly speaker, Jensen is the only one of the five to remain in the Legislature.

Jensen is charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor that accuse him of directing Assembly staff to work on campaigns while on state time.

Thompson was a four-term Republican governor who served for 20 years in the Assembly, where he rose to a GOP leadership post. He was not available for comment Tuesday.

Thompson's lawyer, Stephen Hurley, said that filing a broad list of potential witnesses is a common practice and doesn't mean Thompson or anyone else on the list will testify.

"Don't read too much into it," Hurley said.

Also on the list of potential witnesses is James R. Klauser, a former Assembly Republican staff director who went on to become Thompson's top deputy as secretary of the state Department of Administration. Now a utility executive, Klauser led the state re- election campaign for President Bush.

Thompson worked for Bush as health and human services secretary.

Also on the witness list is Rich Judge, a former Assembly Democratic staff worker who is now the chairman of Doyle's re- election campaign.

Prosser is a former Assembly speaker. "I've been subpoenaed as a witness in a criminal trial, and witnesses are expected to cooperate," Prosser said.

Other former speakers on the list are Democrats Walter Kunicki of Milwaukee, now a utility executive; and Thomas Loftus, a member of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents.

Waukesha County Circuit Judge J. Mac Davis, a former GOP state senator, is listed as a potential witness. Retired Supreme Court Justice William Bablitch, a former Democratic state senator, also is on the list.

Two other former state Senate Democratic leaders Joe Strohl, now a lobbyist, and business executive Tim Cullen are listed, along with former Assembly Democratic Leader Shirley Krug.

Also listed are Tanya Bjork and Raghu Devaguptapu, two former aides of former state Sen. Brian Burke, a Milwaukee Democrat who directed staff to campaign on state time.

Burke is serving six months under home confinement after pleading guilty to one felony and one misdemeanor.

Another former Senate Democratic senator, Chuck Chvala of Madison, is scheduled to begin serving a nine-month jail sentence on Feb. 13.

Two former Assembly Republican leaders from the era when Jensen was speaker Steve Foti of Oconomowoc and Bonnie Ladwig of Racine have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors and are awaiting sentencing.

Copyright 2006, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.)

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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