Nick Ayers: Former Mike Pence Chief of Staff
Support for Scott Walker and Involvement in the Wisconsin "John Doe" Investigation of Illegal Campaign Coordination
At the direction of Nick Ayers, Republican Governors Asscoiation (RGA) was deeply involved in defending Scott Walker during the
2012 Wisconsin recall race. RGA Emails were subpoenaed by prosecutors investigating whether or not RGA and other express advocacy
groups such as Republican State Leadership Committee, illegally coordinated their activities to defend Walker with Walker
campaign staff. The investigation was dubbed "John Doe II."
Some RGA emails were part of a package of materials leaked to the public in September 2016 expose in the Guardian
"Because Scott Walker Asked."[8]
An early email dated March 25, 2011, from Ayers to Scott Walker and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus laid
out a coordinated strategy to defend Walker in the June 2012 recall races:
"Spoke to Gillespie this morning. My sense is that everyone's heart (AFP, WIGOP, RSLC, RGA, CFG) is in the right place but no one
is clear on the entire battle plan, and that is leaving very vulnerable gaps in both the planning and execution of a winning strategy."
Here, Nick Ayers names key groups involved in the campaign coordination prosecutors were investigating; Ed Gillespie from the
Republican State Leadership Conference, Americans for Prosperity, the Wisconsin Republican Party, and Club for Growth.
The groups would go on to spend some $30 MIL in the recall races an enormous sum in a small state.[9]
$20 MIL funneled through Wisconsin Club for Growth, $10 MIL via the RGA
Ayers laid down the battle plan and others continued to execute it. A September 2016 lead of John Doe documents to the Guardian
included emails indicating that Keith Gilkes, Scott Walker's campaign manager, held weekly meetings with the Republican Governor's
Association. On October 14, 2011 an RGA staffer wrote to Gilkes in an email –
"Josh mentioned he would like to make this a recurring call on Fridays at 2:30 pm (EST). Does that work for you?"
Gilkes replies: "This works on my end for a weekly call… Shoot me the phone number and dial-in when you have it."
Josh is likely Josh Robinson, RGA's political director who later boasted of "overseeing the largest independent expenditure campaign
defending Scott Walker during the 2012 recalls" in his biography.[10]
The legal problem was that both RGA and RSLC registered their campaign entities in Wisconsin as express advocacy groups, required
to swear an oath not to coordinate with candidates or their agents. RGA would later run a pounding rotation of ads attacking
Walker's Democratic opponent, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, and defending Walker.
Even the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision shutting down the John Doe case recognized that express advocacy ads were prohibited
and chose to ignore evidence of express advocacy by RGA and RSLC offered by prosecutors, see CMD's Mary Bottari report
"Supreme Coverup: How the Wisconsin Justice System Failed in the John Doe."[11]
The entire ruling was based on a false premise, see report by CMD's Arn Pearson,
"Leaked Documents Reveal Court Dismissal of John Doe Investigation Based on a False Premise." [12]
[8] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2016/sep/14/john-doe-files-scott-walker-corporate-cash- american-politics
[9] https://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/09/13147/koch-connection-scott-walker-john-doe-documents
[10] http://redprintstrategy.com/josh-robinson-bio/
[11] https://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/09/13142/gableman-wi-supreme-court
[12] https://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/09/13145/Leaked-Documents-Court-Dismissal-John-Doe-Investigation-False-Premise
https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Nick_Ayers#Support_for_Scott_Walker_and_Involvement_in_the_Wisconsin_.22John_Doe.22_Investigation_of_Illegal_Campaign_Coordination