Whistleblower Takes Stand In Jensen Trial
Trial Began On Tuesday
Posted: 7:45 pm CST February 24, 2006Updated: 8:25 pm CST February 24, 2006
MADISON, Wis. -- The woman who sparked the investigation that led to criminal charges against several state lawmakers in the Capitol corruption scandal took the stand on Friday in state Rep. Scott Jensen's corruption trial.
WATCH: Does Public Care About Case? |
WATCH: Whistleblower Speaks In Jensen TrialLyndee Woodliff, who once was a state Assembly Republican Caucus worker, said that she regularly did campaign work while employed by the state, which violates Wisconsin law.Woodliff said that the written description of her state job included maintaining lists of potential Assembly Republican candidates on her state computer and helping with candidate mailings.Woodliff's statements from the stand echoed previous testimony at the Dane County trial of Jensen, R-Waukesha, and aide Sherry Schultz. The pair is accused of running a political campaign machine on the state's dime, WISC-TV reported.Woodliff said that her duties included coordinating photo shoots for candidates' ads.The scandal began when Woodliff spoke with the Wisconsin State Journal and played a key role in a series of articles that began running in May 2001, WISC-TV reported.Also on Friday, former ARC Director Ray Carey also took the stand and said that he couldn't remember any time that Jensen told him not to do campaign activity on state time or with state resources.Carey, who oversaw the caucus from December 1994 to January 1999, said that Jensen wasn't a micromanager. During cross examination, he said that Jensen was hands off when it came to the running of the caucus, WISC-TV reported.Prosecutors used Woodliff's testimony to try to bolster their contention that Jensen oversaw a taxpayer-funded campaign machine involving state employees and resources despite a ban on using them for political purposes. Schultz is accused of raising funds for Republican candidates while on the state's payroll.On Wednesday and Thursday, prosecutors called four graphic designers to the stand who all worked for the ARC at various points. They testified that they performed campaign work while on the clock with the state, WISC-TV reported.One former employee, Eric Grant, said that they were told to lock the doors to their office while preparing campaign mailings, among other steps to hide their work on GOP political campaigns.Grant said that caucus directors instructed employees to hide campaign materials when visitors came to their state office. He said that campaign work ramped up during the 1998 elections, becoming a daily routine.Grant said on Wednesday that they even developed a production-on-demand system to turn out literature for GOP candidates. He said that he spent almost all his time in election years using state computers, printers, phones and fax machines to produce and ship campaign literature.The trial is expected to last three weeks.Jensen is expected to take the stand in his own defense, WISC-TV reported.Jensen is the last of five state legislators charged in 2002 after media reports detailed allegations that lawmakers were using their taxpayer-funded staffs to run campaigns and collect political contributions.The other four -- ex-Democratic state Sens. Brian Burke and Chuck Chvala and former Republican Reps. Steve Foti and Bonnie Ladwig -- have struck deals with prosecutors to avoid trials.Foti, once the second-ranking lawmaker in the Assembly, made an agreement and pleaded guilty to corruption charges last month. As part of the agreement, Foti agreed to testify against Jensen.Burke and Chvala were sentenced to jail time. Former Assistant Assembly Majority Leader Ladwig is expected to pay $4,500 in fines and restitution, WISC-TV reported.
NOTE: WISC-TV's Colin Benedict provides behind-the-scenes coverage of the Jensen trial in his new blog.
Previous Stories:
- February 24, 2006: Jensen Trial: Ex-State Worker Testifies About Political Work
- February 24, 2006: Jensen Trial: Ex-Employee Testifies About Campaign Work On State Time
- February 23, 2006: Jensen Trial: Artist Tells Of Working For Candidates
- February 22, 2006: Elections Chief Testifies In Jensen Trial
- February 21, 2006: Jury Selected In Jensen Trial
- February 20, 2006: Jensen Trial To Begin Tuesday
- February 3, 2006: Judge Refuses To Toss Charges Against Jensen, Aide
- February 3, 2006: Jensen Makes Court Appearance On Friday
- February 1, 2006: Jensen: Democrats Had Aides Campaign On State Time
- January 4, 2006: Judge Declines To Move Jensen's Trial
- December 16, 2005: Chvala Sentenced To Jail, Probation
- December 8, 2005: Chvala Asks For No Jail Time
- December 6, 2005: Prosecutors Ask For Jail Time For Chvala
- October 26, 2005: Chvala Pleads Guilty To Two Felony Counts
- October 25, 2005: Former Senator Pleads Guilty
- October 24, 2005: Former State Senator To Enter Plea
- July 13, 2004: Under The Dome: Alleged Internet Smear Campaign
Copyright 2006 by Channel 3000. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.





