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MADISON - A judge blocked Senate Majority
Leader Chuck Chvala's attempt Wednesday to stop prosecutors from filing
charges against him in the yearlong probe into allegations of illegal
campaigning at the state Capitol.
Milwaukee County Assistant District
Attorney David Feiss told Dane County Circuit Judge Paul Higginbotham
that he was prepared to file charges Thursday against Chvala. Feiss and
District Attorney E. Michael McCann would not comment after Wednesday's
hearing on when they would file charges.
"There's no restraining order
against us from going forward," McCann said.
Feiss said Dane County District Judge
Sarah O'Brien authorized the charges against Chvala earlier this week,
but he did not specify what charges.
Chvala, D-Madison, would not comment
following the hearing.
Chvala's attorney, Patrick Knight, was in
court Wednesday to ask a judge to remove McCann from the case because of
a conflict of interest.
But Feiss told the judge, "It's too
late. The train is already out of the station," referring to the
complaint authorization.
Knight accused McCann of a conflict of
interest and asked that McCann be stopped from proceeding with his
investigation.
The investigation has been going on for
more than a year since the Wisconsin State Journal of Madison first
reported that staffers with the now-defunct legislative caucuses did
campaign work on state time, in violation of the law.
Sen. Brian Burke, D-Milwaukee, is the
only legislator charged in the probe so far.
Chvala, along with Assembly Speaker Scott
Jensen, R-Waukesha, have been mentioned as possible targets in the
probe.
Knight said McCann had a conflict of
interest against Chvala because as president of the Wisconsin District
Attorneys Association, he lobbied unsuccessfully for legislation to
extend the terms of office for district attorneys from two years to four
years.
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