From the Wisconsin State Journal:

MON., MAR 13, 2006 - 11:33 PM
Smith: Jensen trial had no shortage of hogwash
Susan Lampert Smith

Because I remember the beginning of the caucus scandal, I wanted to watch the end.

And, frankly, I was curious if Rep. Scott Jensen's attorney, Stephen Meyer, could pull off a coherent defense against charges of misconduct in public office.

By now, we know that the jury didn't buy Meyer's argument, which veered from the he-didn't-know defense to the eye-rolling, he-was-a-reformer argument.

The jury convicted Jensen on three felony counts and a misdemeanor.

A parallel corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. George Ryan wound up last week in Chicago, and the Chicago Tribune sent drama critic Chris Jones to rate the attorneys' closing arguments. You'll have to make do with me.

Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard went first, and, in his earnest Boy Scout way, outlined the charges against Jensen and Capitol staffer Sherry Schultz. Blanchard did get off a few good lines, noting the irony of the name "Taxpayers for Jensen" because "taxpayers were paying for a share of his campaign activity."

Still, Blanchard had to go through 40 some witnesses, and more than 200 exhibits. It was slow going, and at least one courtroom observer dozed.

My mind went back to the fall of 2000, and some puzzling letters I read in the Mount Horeb Mail. One of the joys of small-town life is knowing most of the people in the newspaper, whether they're speeders or letter writers. But I had never heard of either one of the writers who praised former Rep. Rick Skindrud, R-Mount Horeb.

That's weird, I thought, who are these people?

Then I forgot about it until I read another small-town newspaper and saw a nearly identical letter praising a different Republican legislator. One of my editors told me to give the letters to Dee Hall, who was working on a story about campaigns.

Oh, yeah, she told me, looking at the letter writers' names. They work for the caucus. That's not all they're doing.

By then, her desk was piled high with suspiciously similar campaign literature, which she later showed was produced at taxpayers' expense to benefit candidates chosen by the party leadership.

I didn't know it then, but the letters were the hair on the tail of a giant elephant (or a braying donkey, to be fair) that would result in convictions against three Republican and two Democratic lawmakers.

It began because Hall was willing to plow through piles of documents and endure stonewalling and ridicule from the Capitol elite. It took patience to build the whole picture from the pieces she had. And it wasn't until May 2001 that her first story was published.

That's why my head snapped up when Meyer launched into his closing arguments, bringing out a "reform time line" showing Jensen was making changes in the system months before the newspaper stories. That's because he knew Hall was on to the gig, I thought. But would the jury buy it?

The Tribune drama critic made allusions to Greek drama, saying Ryan's attorney tried to paint himself "as poor little Antigone, up against Creon and his massed armies."

I'd say Jensen's attorney was more like Freddy Krueger of horror movie fame, slashing out against everyone who testified against Jensen. He called former Jensen staffers and caucus staffers liars, and "pathetic," a description he also used against former Rep. Steve Foti, who reluctantly testified as part of his own plea deal.

"He traded his integrity for 30 pieces of silver," Meyer raged.

I thought his meanest attack was a side-blow at Schultz, who stood trial at his side.

"It's the mark of honesty when a person takes the witness stand," Meyer said of Jensen. You could see eyes wander to Schultz, who did not take the stand in her own defense.

Meyer made much of Supreme Court Justice David Prosser's testimony that Jensen is "a man of utmost integrity."

(Prosser also testified that it didn't bother him that Jensen misled investigators. Dude, I'm definitely keeping your number in the Rolodex in case I get caught lying to the cops.)

But now the political theater is over, the convictions are in, and Jensen has resigned.

By refusing to plead guilty as the other lawmakers did, Jensen treated us to a three-week trial that showed how those who purport to represent the people of Wisconsin are really hand-picked and financed by legislative leaders bent on keeping their own power.

Until the system changes, the scandal won't be over.