Wisc. Prosecutors Assert ‘Dark Money’ Case Against Governor

Court filings unsealed Thursday detail allegations by five Wisconsin district attorneys that Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign illegally coordinated with nonprofit organizations on fundraising and spending to defeat a recall effort in 2012, The New York Times reports.

The unidentified county prosecutors sought to bring a criminal case against Mr. Walker, but a federal judge halted the inquiry in May, granting an injunction requested by conservative group Wisconsin Club for Growth, which said the investigation violated its free-speech rights, according to The Wall Street Journal. The court papers were released in connection with an appeal of that ruling.

The prosecutors contend that during the ultimately unsuccessful recall campaign, Mr. Walker and his aides violated state campaign-finance and disclosure laws by supervising political activity by Club for Growth and other independent groups, most of them nonprofits that are not required to reveal their funding sources.

Mr. Walker, a Republican running for re-election this year, called the case a “partisan investigation” brought by Democratic officials.