U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic has been focusing on the approval by the Doyle-appointed state Public Service Commission of the sale of the Kewaunee nuclear power plant. Members of the purchasing group met with several Doyle aides around the time of the PSC decision and campaign contributions were made. At least one of those meetings included Doyle. Further, a Doyle campaign employee is married to the current PSC chair (who was the agency’s executive assistant at the time of the Kewaunee decision). If Biskupic can prove that the contributions were linked to the plant sale approval, the criminal charges could reach the very top of Doyle’s administration.

The feds have also questioned several people involved in the awarding of a development contract for a building being used by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. It is unclear if this project is still under criminal investigation.

Rumors are swirling in Madison and Milwaukee that an indictment has already been issued but is under seal. This may or may not be true but it is very apparent that Biskupic did not want to bring charges during Doyle’s election campaign for fear they would seem politically motivated.

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Several weeks ago in this column I reported that the largest single funder of a pro-Doyle group dubbing itself the "Greater Wisconsin Committee" was the Potawatomi tribe. That group, which is exempt from all campaign finance laws, refused to say where it was getting the money to run attack ads on Mark Green. I not only reported that the Potawatomi tribe was behind the ads, but challenged them to sue me if I was wrong. There were no suits, nor were there any denials.

On Sunday, Milwaukee’s daily newspaper managed to get around to the story and confirmed that at least $1 million was given to the pro-Doyle group by the Potawatomi. Here’s how influential that was: The Greater Wisconsin Committee spent $400,000 on Milwaukee TV ads in the final week of the election alone! This not only demonstrates why Doyle has sold his soul to the tribe but also the folly of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.

McCain-Feingold exempts third-party groups from financial disclosure, which creates an incentive for shady outfits like the Potawatomi to give fortunes to pet candidates while not having to publicly disclose their activities. Since unlimited funds can be given to these groups, the impact is to make secret money from powerful groups even more important than before McCain and Feingold set out to "clean up" political financing.

The $1 million given by the Potawatomi to the Greater Wisconsin Committee may actually be a low-ball figure and doesn’t count funds the tribe may have given to other groups that were backing other Democratic candidates. In the meantime, the enormous expansion of the Milwaukee Potawatomi casino continues with estimates the tribe could take in more than $600 million a year once it’s completed.

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The election was only 15 days ago and Doyle’s transportation department is already proposing a 40 percent increase in auto registration and driver’s license fees, and the governor’s Department of Administration has suddenly concluded the state has a $1.6 billion deficit. Amazing the things you learn AFTER an election.

During his campaign, Doyle repeatedly insisted the state budget was balanced. But the acknowledgment that it is totally unbalanced came Monday, a mere 13 days after the election. But what does Doyle care? He doesn’t have to face the voters again for four years. The governor is far more concerned about Biskupic.

The cause of the deficit is the one cited by us naysayers all along. Doyle’s current budget raided tens of millions out of several state funds, like the transportation fund. The governor pledged to pay all the money back in 2007. He doesn’t have the money. Here’s what will happen (clip and save this column if you don’t believe me):

Doyle will re-raid the funds by not paying back the money for another two years, push through both the registration fee hike and a gas tax increase to make up the road fund shortfall, dramatically slash state aid to local governments and schools and allow the local governments to make up their loss by removing all limits on spending and property taxes. The result will be double-digit property tax levies all over the state.

There will be one other new revenue source. The governor will approve plans to develop a casino in Kenosha. But he will take care of his Potawatomi patrons by requiring that they share in the new casino’s profits. You don’t have to be a psychic to see all of this coming.

(Mark Belling is the host of a daily WISN radio talk show and a Sunday television show. His column runs Wednesdays in The Freeman.)