Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (WRN image)
We have not heard the last, about a secret recording of a May phone call between Governor Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders. Last week, Evers’ Chief Legal Counsel Ryan Nilsestuen said there was no problem, under the state’s under one-party consent law for recording conversations.
“Staff on both the legislative offices and the governor’s office were on the call, and staff did consent to it being recorded, so it’s in compliance with the one-part consent rule,” Nilsestuen said Thursday.
But state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has released a memo from the the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau, which states if another person in the governor’s office recorded the call without the prior consent or authorization Evers, Chief of Staff Maggie Gau, or Nilsestuen, that person may broken the law, because they were not a party to the communication.
If the governor didn’t know that his staff was recording him, this is a bigger problem than he thinks. The governor should be in control of his office – the buck stops with him.https://t.co/Jm167PP6UH
— Scott Fitzgerald (@SenFitzgerald) June 15, 2020
“If the governor didn’t know that his staff was recording him, this is a bigger problem than he thinks. The governor should be in control of his office – the buck stops with him,” Fitzgerald said.
WisPolitics reported Monday that the governor’s office did not immediately return call requesting comment.