“Time and time again, Tony Evers and Josh Kaul have advocated for soft-on-crime polices that harm the people of Wisconsin” – Eric Toney
Republican Attorney General candidate Eric Toney is criticizing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers for adding a convicted felon to the governor’s Juvenile Justice Commission.
“Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul’s soft on crime polices are exposed by the recent appointment of a convicted felon to the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Commission and by Kaul’s defense of a convicted rapist,” Toney wrote in a news release.
According to Toney: “Time and time again, Tony Evers and Josh Kaul have advocated for soft-on-crime polices that harm the people of Wisconsin. Just last week, the Evers Administration appointed convicted felon, Aundray Evans, to the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Commission despite the fact that he is awaiting trial on five felony and misdemeanor charges.”
Eric Toney is the Fond du Lac County District Attorney who has earned the largest number of law enforcement endorsements in the race against Kaul.
“Tony Evers has failed the people of our state time after time and Josh Kaul has been in lock step with him every step of the way. It is unacceptable to appoint felons who are awaiting trial to government positions,” said Toney.
Only after outrage from the law enforcement community, Evans was removed from the commission, he wrote.
Toney added:
“Wisconsin needs an Attorney General that has a proven track record of standing up for the rule of law, who will fight back against government overreach, and who will stand up to a Governor that is soft on crime. Milwaukee has historic murder and drug deaths under the failed leadership of Kaul and Evers. This must stop and when I’m elected Attorney General – it will.”
According to Toney, “This is just the latest addition to the list of the soft on crime approach of Kaul and Evers.” His press release lists the following, in their words:
· In 2018, Josh Kaul ran on fixing the state’s crime labs, but the crime labs are in disarray under his leadership. We’ve seen a 30% drop in cases taken from 2018 to 2021 – plus – the crime labs are taking longer to process many items, including DNA.
· Josh Kaul defended convicted rapist, Derrick Palmer, in a fair employment case.
· Under Evers and Kaul –
o Violent crime is on the rise.
o Milwaukee has broken homicide records for two straight years.
o Milwaukee County is suffering from historic overdose deaths in 2021.
· In March, Evers’ appointee, Curtis Schmitt Jr. resigned from the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs amid child pornography charges. Josh Kaul was silent.
· In June, Evers was pressured to remove John Tate from the Wisconsin Parole Commission after Tate recommended to release a man who stabbed his wife to death more than 40 times in front of their two children. Josh Kaul was silent.
We would add one more instance: Kaul and Evers have stayed silent on the Milwaukee mayor’s appointment of a man with a child abuse history to run the Office of Violence Prevention, which was given $8 million by Evers in a news conference in which the governor appeared alongside Kaul.
“District Attorney Eric Toney is endorsed by over 100 Sheriffs, District Attorneys, and Police Chiefs, and has been unanimously endorsed by the Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge, the Milwaukee Police Association, Wisconsin Right to Life, Wisconsin Family Action, as well as Congressman Glenn Grothman and former Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brad Courtney,” the release states.
WISN-1130 host Dan O’Donnell has done some good reporting on this topic. You can find it here.
