POLITICAL OBSERVERS AWAIT JENSEN'S DECISION
Monday, February 20th, 2006 -- 12:16 PM
Will he cut a plea deal or not? State government observers await Scott Jensen's next move. Jury selection for Jensen's trial is set to begin Tuesday. The Waukesha Republican is accused of abusing his legislative position by running a political campaign operation with taxpayer dollars.
"I think it would be a good thing if we went to trial," says Jay Heck with Common Cause in Wisconsin, a political watchdog group. "It would be instructive for the people of Wisconsin. It would air totally all that happened from the mid-nineties on that really turned this state into a political cesspool."
Heck's hopes for a trial probably aren't shared by all of Jensen's colleagues in the legislature.
"The list of folks that could be called to testify is extensive. It includes former legislators, former leaders - even current Supreme Court Justice David Prosser. My guess is there are a lot of people concerned about this going to trial."
One area state legislator is one of a handful of lawmakers who may be asked to testify. Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard submitted a list of about 125 potential witnesses. That list includes seven Republican lawmakers, including state Representative Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) and Assembly Speaker John Gard (R-Peshtigo).
[i]The Wisconsin Radio Network contributed to this report.[/i]
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