Wisconsin district attorney asks attorney general compel WisDems to return donations allegedly tied to Epstein

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On Thursday, Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney, who serves as president of the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association, took to social media, demanding Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul condemn millions in donations filling the Wisconsin Democrats’ war chest that are linked to Jeffrey Epstein.

Toney tweeted, “Josh Kaul is our Attorney General that leads the WisDOJ (Wisconsin Department of Justice), responsible for significant ICAC (Internet Crimes against Children) investigations. I stood with him last year to help obtain more crime lab funding and today I’m asking him to stand with me and condemn these donations & demand the (Democratic Party of Wisconsin) return the money.”

According to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report, mega-Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, the billionaire founder of LinkedIn, has past ties to now deceased Jeffrey Epstein; Epstein died in a federal prison in 2019.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Hoffman was among those who visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island, six years after the American financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution of a minor and registered as a sex offender.

Last year, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Hoffman made four donations totaling nearly $3.6 million to Wisconsin Democrats since Jan. 30, almost as much as Wisconsin Republicans received in total in the past six months. And now, another $2 million.

On March 28, 2024, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Daniel Bice tweeted, “Billionaire Reid Hoffman gave another $2 million to the state Dem Party in January. That makes up nearly 40% of the $5.4 m the Dems have raised this year in state acct. Last yr, Hoffman gave $3.6 m to Dems.”

During an interview with the Wisconsin Law Journal on Thursday, Toney said he is asking that Kaul stand with him in doing the right thing.

“Based on what we know about Jeffrey Epstein and the horrendous things he engaged in, and as the Wisconsin Department Justice is a key partner in investigating crimes against children, it’s the decent and right thing to do to condemn it, and ask that his party give the money back,” Toney said.

Toney also said, “There is no surprise where this money came from,” referring to the original $3.6 million in donations to WisDems from Hoffman.

The Wisconsin Law Journal reached out to WisDems, Gov. Evers’ office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice seeking comment on Thursday. WisDems initially declined to comment then issued a statement.

Communication Director Joe Oslund said, “We raise the resources we need to be competitive and win elections in accordance with the campaign finance laws Scott Walker gave us. Despite his promises to revive the GOP’s anemic fundraising, Brian Schimming has consistently failed to bring home the bacon. It’s clear that far-right donors like Liz and Dick Uihlein feel more comfortable funneling their cash through shadowy outside groups, and given the Wisconsin GOP’s record of embarrassing defeats, who can blame them?”

Walker and Schimming have no connection to Epstein.

In 2018, Walker worked closely with legislative Republicans and then-Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel to combat human trafficking. Walker signed Senate Bill 541, authored by Sen. Van Wanggaard and Rep. Joel Kleefisch, which allows Wisconsin Department of Justice’s (DOJ) administrative subpoena powers to be used for human trafficking crimes, WisPolitics reported.

Walker also signed Senate Bill 704, authored by Sens. Scott Fitzgerald and Jennifer Shilling, and Reps. Joel Kleefisch and Chris Taylor, which makes improvements to DOJ’s Safe at Home program, the state’s address confidentiality program, according to the WisPolitics report.

According to another WisPolitics report, Walker and state Republicans were instrumental in campaign finance reform, limiting donations made to political parties, but allowing parties to make unlimited transfers to candidates.

On Thursday, WisGOP Spokesperson Matt Fisher directly addressed the Wisconsin Law Journal’s question about WisDems accepting money tied to Epstein.

“Wisconsin Democrats continue to shamelessly accept millions of dollars from Reid Hoffman, a billionaire who both visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island and attempted to rehabilitate the pedophile sex offender’s image. Their refusal to return his donations is an insult to both victims of Jeffrey Epstein and sex trafficking everywhere.”

No response was received from Gov. Evers or Attorney General Josh Kaul, as of publication time on Friday morning.