What trial are they watching?

Yesterday, the Republican Party of Wisconsin issued a press release trying to make the trial of Georgia Thompson, a state employee hired by Governor Scott McCallum, look like it is going to bring down Governor Jim Doyle. It started with this statement from Rick Graber:

"Court filings are linking a big money donor to Jim Doyle's political campaign with his office and the department involved in steering a lucrative state contract their way."

Contrast that with part of the opening statement from U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic, a Republican appointee prosecuting the trial:

"This case is not about the politicians you're going to hear about."

You would think they are watching two different trials. There are others that seem to be tuned into their hoped for version of the trial instead of the actual trial. Take Mike McCabe of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign "to keep ourselves in business" with this statement:

"I'd be surprised if it ended with Georgia Thompson given what I know about the scope of the investigation."

Now if you contrast that with someone that actually knows the law, Frank Tuerkheimer, a UW-Madison Law School professor and formal federal prosecutor, it turns out McCabe knows very little. Yesterday in the Wisconsin State Journal, Tuerkheimer said:

"The very fact that there's a trial tells me that whatever pressure has been brought against her to names names hasn't worked. I would infer that there are no names to name."

Why would he infer that? Because sentences in the federal court system are so tough that not many people take a chance on a trial. If there is a way for them to get off easier by pointing the blame at someone else, they do.

The trial will go on all week and much more could happen, but it's looking more and more like Graber and McCabe are going to be disappointed.