Judge won’t launch probe of John Doe prosecutors

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A southern Wisconsin judge has rejected a request by a conservative group to investigate the Milwaukee County prosecutor behind a secret probe into Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign and his allies.

The Journal Sentinel reports online court records show Dodge County Judge Steven Bauer declined the request made by conservative activist Chris Kliesmet.

Kliesmet is a member of Citizens for Responsible Government, a group that has supported Walker. He first made the request to Dodge County District Attorney Kurt Klomberg, a Republican. But Klomberg turned it down, citing a conflict of interest.

Other district attorneys around Wisconsin declined to investigate Milwaukee County DA John Chisholm, a Democrat. That left it up to the judge to decide whether to open a probe of Chisholm.

Chisholm launched a John Doe investigation in 2012 to look into possible campaign finance violations.

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