Tavelgate Now Before Grand Jury?

Perhaps another reason Doyle was distracted during his speech.

Grand jury eyes travel deal
Witnesses say they felt political pressure to reward Doyle contributor
By David Callender
A federal grand jury in Milwaukee is reviewing the controversial decision to award a major state travel contract to one of Gov. Jim Doyle's campaign donors, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

The news is the latest turn in a joint investigation by federal, state, and local authorities into the awarding of an exclusive five-year, $750,000 contract for all state travel arrangements to Adelman Travel.

Members of the firm's board of directors and their families have donated more than $22,000 to Doyle's re-election campaign. According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the grand jury has heard testimony from UW officials involved in the contract decision, some of whom have said they felt political pressure to award the contract to Adelman.

One source said, however, that one target of the grand jury appears to be Georgia Thompson, the Department of Administration procurement official whom others said steered the contract toward Adelman.

Thompson's attorney, Steve Hurley, refused to comment on the probe.

Gov. Jim Doyle, whose administration is apparently at the center of the probe, also declined comment.

"All I can tell you is you're going to have to talk to the investigators," Doyle said during a meeting with The Capital Times' editorial board this week. "I have no idea of the truthfulness" of reports that the grand jury was investigating the matter, Doyle said. "I don't have any idea one way or the other."

Doyle has said that he believes state officials followed proper procedures in awarding the contract to Adelman.

The complete Cap Times Story.

This is an obvious distraction, regardless of the specifics of the allegations. There is no good way for an elected official to answer questions about a grand jury investigation, regardless of their actual innocence or guilt.

The longer this drags out, the worse it will be for the governor.