A former top aide to Governor Scott Walker pleaded guilty Thursday to a single count of felony misconduct. Kelly Rindfleisch entered the plea during a hearing before Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Hansher. She first tried to plead no contest, a legal maneuver which would have allowed her to essentially plead guilty without admitting to the crime. But Hansher said that wasn’t an appropriate plea to a charge of misconduct in pubic office. “I will not accept a no contest plea, and I wasn’t made aware . . . until this very moment that there was an attempt to plead no contest.”
AUDIO: Rindfleisch hearing (2:15)
The 43 year-old Rindfleisch, who served as Governor Walker’s deputy chief of staff during Walker’s tenure as Milwaukee County executive in 2010, who was represented by attorney Frank Gimbel, them changed her plea to guilty. Rindfleisch’s plea concerns campaigning she did for Brett Davis, who was running for lieutenant governor. Three other counts were dropped. Judge Hansher set sentencing for November 17th.