• Home
  • News
    • Politics / Govt
    • Legislature
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Archives
  • Sports
    • Badgers
    • Packers
      • Titletown Report
    • Brewers
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / News / New Russ Feingold ad attacks Senator Ron Johnson on Tomah response

New Russ Feingold ad attacks Senator Ron Johnson on Tomah response

May 5, 2016 By Andrew Beckett

050516JohnsonFeingoldFor the second time this week, how federal lawmakers responded to reports of opiate abuse at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center is coming up in Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race.

Democratic candidate Russ Feingold’s campaign released an ad Thursday criticizing how Republican Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-WI) office handled a tip raising concerns about the over-prescription of opiate painkillers at the facility, and then later blamed the problem on staff turnover. A whistle-blower had raised the concern to the Wisconsin Republican’s staff, but Johnson has said he was not made aware of the problems until an Inspector Generals report was made public in January of last year.

The ad highlight comments Johnson made to WTAQ radio in Green Bay last year, in which he said the tip received in 2014 may not have been missed “had this not occurred during an election cycle, when there’s an awful lot of turnover…when people are looking at doing job interviews and stuff.”

Feingold is running to regain the seat he lost to Johnson in the 2010 election. The Democrat’s own handling of reports about opiate abuse at Tomah was also the focus of a campaign ad this week, released by the Freedom Partners Action Fund, a group tied to billionaires Charles and David Koch. That ad features a whistle-blower at Tomah who accuses Feingold of ignoring a 2009 memo when he was still in the Senate that raised concerns about harm to veterans.

Feingold’s campaign has said there’s no proof the memo was ever actually delivered to his office..

Responding to the Feingold ad in a statement, Wisconsin Republican Party spokesman Pat Garrett said “Senator Feingold has repeatedly stood on the wrong side of veterans and dodged responsibility for his failure to take action in the tragic situation in Tomah. He can create excuses and blame others to protect his political career, but Feingold can’t escape the fact that for years he ignored a whistleblower’s cry for help when our veterans needed him.”

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: News, Politics / Govt




compeer financial celebrates beef month

Featured Stories

Republicans propose American Family Field funding plan

Kaul files lawsuit following Senate vote to oust WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe

Inconclusive Senate committee hearing on status of WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe

NWS offers tips to beat the heat this week

Renowned Menominee leader Ada Deer dies at 88

TwitterFacebook

Sports Headlines

Republicans propose American Family Field funding plan

Evers’ AmFam funding plan ‘a nonstarter’ with Assembly Republicans

New pitch clock could speed up MLB games this season, says UW expert

Giannis breaks franchise scoring record, Bucks beat Nets in OT

Wisconsin’s Davis declares for NBA Draft

More Sports

Get our news delivered to your inbox:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Copyright © 2023 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC

 

Loading Comments...