Dems want DoJ documents about Wis. prosecutor

Several Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee and both Democratic senators from Wisconsin Tuesday called on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to hand over documents relating to the prosecution of a member of the Wisconsin governor’s administration.

Chairman Patrick Leahy (Vt.), as well as Sens. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Russ Feingold (Wis.) and Herb Kohl (Wis.) sent a letter to Gonzales Tuesday demanding to know whether politics played an “inappropriate” role in a case brought by the U.S. attorney in Milwaukee, Stephen Biskupic.

The aide in question, Georgia Thompson, worked for Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat. Thompson was sentenced last year to 18 months in prison after she was convicted of manipulating the state Department of Administration bidding system and giving a contract to a travel agency that had contributed to Doyle’s campaign. She has said that she is not guilty and was just trying to save taxpayers money.

Last week a federal appeals court judge overturned Thompson’s conviction for insufficient evidence and ordered her immediate release.

“The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals was reportedly so troubled by the insufficiency of the evidence against Ms. Thompson that it made the unusual decision to issue an order reversing Ms. Thompson’s conviction and releasing her from custody immediately after oral arguments in her appeal,” the senators wrote Gonzales.

In the past two weeks, Democrats have repeatedly asked DoJ for documents related to the firings. They question whether politics played an improper role in decisions to fire eight prosecutors last year.

Senators want to know more about the circumstances surrounding the case against Thompson.

“We ask that you provide the requested documents as early as possible and no later than the close of business on Friday, April 13, 2007,” the senators wrote.