Early political career
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Reince Preibus emails emerged as part of the "John Doe II" investigation of Governor Scott Walker by Wisconsin state prosecutors who were investigating potentially illegal coordination between Walker's recall campaign committee and a host of "independent" big money groups in the 2011-2012 recall period. <ref> Robert Stelter, [https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3105195/2013-10-01-Stelter-Aff.pdf AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF A REQUEST FOR SUBPOENAS], court documents, October 1, 2013.</ref>
Reince Preibus emails emerged as part of the "John Doe II" investigation of Governor Scott Walker by Wisconsin state prosecutors who were investigating potentially illegal coordination between Walker's recall campaign committee and a host of "independent" big money groups in the 2011-2012 recall period. <ref> Robert Stelter, [https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3105195/2013-10-01-Stelter-Aff.pdf AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF A REQUEST FOR SUBPOENAS], court documents, October 1, 2013.</ref>
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A trove of nearly 1,500 emails from the [[Scott Walker John Doe Documents|Wisconsin John Doe II investigation]] was released by ''The Guardian'' on September 14, 2016. [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3105984-2012-08-14-Exhibits-01-100-PT1.html/#document/p28 An key email] from Nick Ayers of the [[Republican Governors Association]] (RGA) to Wisconsin Governor [[Scott Walker]] and copied to RNC Chair Priebus proposes a coordinated battleplan between the Walker campaign and outside spending groups including [[Republican Governors Association]] [[Republican State Leadership Committee]] [[Americans for Prosperity]] and [[Club for Growth]] during Walker's 2011 recall campaign. RGA would register as a "independent expenditure" group in Wisconsin and swear an oath not to coordinate with candidates, yet would meet weekly with Walker's campaign manager, provide him with fundraising lists and help arrange a key meeting between Walker and lead pigment paint manufacturer Harold Simmons
who
secretly donated $750,000 to Walker, followed by legal changes benefiting his company.
+
A trove of nearly 1,500 emails from the [[Scott Walker John Doe Documents|Wisconsin John Doe II investigation]] was released by ''The Guardian'' on September 14, 2016. [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3105984-2012-08-14-Exhibits-01-100-PT1.html/#document/p28 An key email] from Nick Ayers of the [[Republican Governors Association]] (RGA) to Wisconsin Governor [[Scott Walker]] and copied to RNC Chair Priebus proposes a coordinated battleplan between the Walker campaign and outside spending groups including [[Republican Governors Association]]
,
[[Republican State Leadership Committee]]
, the Kochs'
[[Americans for Prosperity]]
,
and [[Club for Growth]] during Walker's 2011 recall campaign
. See the email [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3105984-2012-08-14-Exhibits-01-100-PT1.html/#document/p28 here]
. RGA would register as a "independent expenditure" group in Wisconsin and swear an oath not to coordinate with candidates, yet would meet weekly with Walker's campaign manager, provide him with fundraising lists and help arrange a key meeting between Walker and lead pigment paint manufacturer Harold Simmons
. Simmons
secretly donated $750,000 to Walker, followed by legal changes benefiting his company
, according to the Guardian account
. See the
''Guardian'' article
[https://www.
theguardian
.
com
/
us-news
/
ng
-
interactive/2016/sep/14/john
-
doe
-
files
-
scott
-
walker
-
corporate
-
cash-american-politics
here].
−
+
−
See the
email
[https://www.
documentcloud
.
org
/
documents
/
3105984
-
2012
-
08
-
14
-
Exhibits
-
01
-
100
-
PT1.html/#document/p28
here].
+
Coordination between candidate campaigns and purportedly independent expenditure groups was illegal in Wisconsin and at the federal level at the time. This email from Ayers helped spark the John Doe II investigation by a bipartisan group of state prosecutors that was ultimately shut down by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2015.<ref> Brendan Fischer, [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2015/07/12887/five-things-know-about-scott-walker-john-doe-ruling Five Things to Know About the Scott Walker John Doe Ruling], ''PRWatch.org'', July 16, 2015.</ref> The conservative majority of the court, elected by the same big money groups under investigation, changed Wisconsin law to retroactively legalize the activities undertaken during the 2011-2012 recall races. CMD the publishers of Sourcewatch have written extensively on the topic of the Wisconsin John Doe investigation. Those articles can be found [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2014/05/12473/reporters-guide-john-doe-investigation here].
Coordination between candidate campaigns and purportedly independent expenditure groups was illegal in Wisconsin and at the federal level at the time. This email from Ayers helped spark the John Doe II investigation by a bipartisan group of state prosecutors that was ultimately shut down by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2015.<ref> Brendan Fischer, [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2015/07/12887/five-things-know-about-scott-walker-john-doe-ruling Five Things to Know About the Scott Walker John Doe Ruling], ''PRWatch.org'', July 16, 2015.</ref> The conservative majority of the court, elected by the same big money groups under investigation, changed Wisconsin law to retroactively legalize the activities undertaken during the 2011-2012 recall races. CMD the publishers of Sourcewatch have written extensively on the topic of the Wisconsin John Doe investigation. Those articles can be found [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2014/05/12473/reporters-guide-john-doe-investigation here].
−
−
See the ''Guardian'' article [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2016/sep/14/john-doe-files-scott-walker-corporate-cash-american-politics here].
==Controversy as Wisconsin Republican Party Chair==
==Controversy as Wisconsin Republican Party Chair==
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==Early political career==
==Early political career==
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Reince Peibus
went to
the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. In 1998, he graduated with a [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] degree ''cum laude'' from the University of Miami after serving as president of the Law School Student Body. He moved back to Wisconsin and joined the prominent Republican law firm Michael Best & Friedrich LLP.
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Reince Peibus
graduated from
the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. In 1998, he graduated with a [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] degree ''cum laude'' from the University of Miami after serving as president of the Law School Student Body. He moved back to Wisconsin and joined the prominent Republican law firm Michael Best & Friedrich LLP.
He ran for election to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2004 but lost to the Democratic incumbent, [[Robert Wirch]].<ref> Dan Simmons, [http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/reince-priebus-star-keeps-rising/article_f8f224ea-eff0-11e1-a3c0-001a4bcf887a.html Reince Priebus' star keeps rising], ''Wisconsin State Journal'', August 26, 2012.</ref> In 2007 he was elected chairman of the [[Wisconsin Republican Party]]. Two years later, he also became the general counsel for the Republican National Committee.<ref name="Falcone10"> Michael Falcone, [http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2010/12/reince-priebus-rnc-chairman-michael-steele/ Wisconsin GOP Chair Reince Priebus Enters Race For RNC Chairman], ''ABC News'', December 6, 2010.</ref>
He ran for election to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2004 but lost to the Democratic incumbent, [[Robert Wirch]].<ref> Dan Simmons, [http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/reince-priebus-star-keeps-rising/article_f8f224ea-eff0-11e1-a3c0-001a4bcf887a.html Reince Priebus' star keeps rising], ''Wisconsin State Journal'', August 26, 2012.</ref> In 2007 he was elected chairman of the [[Wisconsin Republican Party]]. Two years later, he also became the general counsel for the Republican National Committee.<ref name="Falcone10"> Michael Falcone, [http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2010/12/reince-priebus-rnc-chairman-michael-steele/ Wisconsin GOP Chair Reince Priebus Enters Race For RNC Chairman], ''ABC News'', December 6, 2010.</ref>