Van Hollen won’t defend election board in Doe-related suit

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen won’t defend Wisconsin elections officials against a new lawsuit connected to a secret probe of Gov. Scott Walker.

On Thursday, a conservative Milwaukee County group sued the Government Accountability Board and prosecutors involved in the John Doe probe, arguing it has a constitutional right to collaborate with candidates.

The prosecutors are investigating whether Walker and the Wisconsin Club for Growth and other conservative organizations illegally coordinated.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Dan Lennington, the state’s assistant deputy attorney general, wrote in a letter Friday to Board director Kevin Kennedy that state law doesn’t prohibit coordination between a candidate and a group running so-called political “issue ads.”

The board asked Walker’s office to appoint a special counsel. The governor’s office is reviewing the request.

Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com