Georgia Thompson – DOJ Victim

I’m shooting for an entirely fact-based formated blog post, and here’s one on a casualty of the politicization of the Justice Department. The woman’s name is Georgia Thompson, and her life was ruined for the sake of a Republican’s campaign for Governor in Wisconsin in 2006.

1. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle (D) was up for reelection in 2006
2. Mark Green (R) is recruited to run against him, secures nomination (3/27/06)
3. National Press cites ongoing investigations into Doyle’s fund raising practices (WaPo)
4. US Attorney Steven Biskupic brings charges against Georgia Thompson (a top Doyle administration official)
5. Thompson is convicted, sentenced to 18 months (9/22/06)
6. US Atty Biskupic insists she begin her sentence immediately
7. Rick Wiley, executive director state GOP: “efforts to portray Thompson as the lone gunman, the Lee Harvey Oswald of Travelgate, are ridiculous at best.“
8. 4 months into her sentence, the conviction is overturned by a three judge panel in Chicago

Judge Diane Wood: “I have to say, in comparison to some of the cases this court has seen, that’s a pretty thin set of facts to show some sort of tight political relationship. Am I missing something?”
Judge William Bauer: “Did you go after the governor or the Adelman people criminally? So the people you think were responsible for all this were Adelman and the governor, but she (Thompson) carries the sack?”
Governor Jim Doyle: “she was prosecuted for doing her job…an innocent woman who was used as a political football. Republican officials spent millions of dollars running ads that turned Thompson into a symbol of corruption.”
Attorney Stephen Hurley: “(Thompson) had lost her job, her life savings, her home and her liberty…At sentencing, the government urged a longer period of incarceration because Georgia did not accept responsibility.”

Local Blog Coverage:

Biskupic Wimps Out – Plaisted Writes / Pleasing the boss? – Garvey Blog / 10/20/05 GOP “Travelgate” enthusiast – Badger Blogger / Real Debate Wisconsin – Good Read / How Was Biskupic Rated? – Brew City Brawler
1/31/06 Talk Radio Host Jeff Wagner, WTMJ 620AM: “Frankly, having a political hack like Joe Wineke (Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin) accuse a dedicated public servant like Steve Biscupic of engaging in “partisan politics” is like Courtney Love calling Laura Bush “classless”.