Two more from Walker's inner circle charged in John Doe probe

On Jan. 26 two former county staffers were charged with illegally campaigning on county time, using a secret computer network intended to avoid detection.  Walker aides Kelly Rindfleisch and Darlene Wink were charged as part of the John Doe probe being conducted by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.

If convicted, Rindfleisch faces up to 3.5 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines on each of four felony counts.  Wink faces up to six months in jail and fines of up to $1,000 for each of two counts.

The John Doe probe already has produced charges against a railroad executive for illegally laundering campaign contributions through railroad employees, and charges against Walker's former deputy chief of staff for embezzling funds from a veterans group Walker appointed him to oversee.  Authorities also have arrested a real estate broker from a firm that made big political contributions to Walker.

While the probe continues, there is no way to know where it will end.  But, clearly, it continues to move in on people who were close to Walker and in whom Walker placed a high degree of trust.  At a minimum, this demonstrates that Walker has repeatedly rewarded political allies with high-ranking public jobs.  Poor judgement or standard Walker operating procedure?

Stay tuned.