Immunity granted in caucus inquiry
10:29 AM 3/13/02
Phil Brinkman State government reporter
indentA 17th person has been granted immunity from prosecution in the ongoing criminal probe into illegal campaign activity by the legislative caucuses.
indentJacob Wittwer, formerly an analyst with the Assembly Democratic Caucus, was given the deal Wednesday by Dane County Circuit Judge Sarah O'Brien. In exchange, he must fully answer all questions prosecutors put to him and cannot claim a Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
indentWittwer worked for the caucus from February 1999 until June 2001, according to Assistant Assembly Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller.
indentFor part of that time, Wittwer helped run the campaign of Democratic Assembly candidate Sondy Pope-Roberts, who ran unsuccessfully against Republican incumbent Rick Skindrud of Mount Horeb.
indentWittwer also worked for the campaigns of Robert Dueholm, who ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Rep. Mark Pettis, R-Hertel, and Sarah Waukau, a Democratic incumbent from Antigo who lost to now Rep. Don Friske, R-Merrill.
indentFor six months in late 1998-99, Wittwer worked as an administrative assistant to state Rep. Shirley Krug, D-Milwaukee, then the Assembly minority leader in charge of the caucus.
indentAlthough Assembly records show Wittwer took some vacation time and unpaid leaves to work on campaigns, it was Wittwer's use of his personal cell phone in September 2000 to make campaign calls from his taxpayer-funded caucus office that sparked a Wisconsin State Journal's investigation into the four partisan legislative caucuses.
indentWittwer, currently studying law at UW-Madison, is the second staffer for the minority Assembly Democratic Caucus granted immunity in the secret investigation. Most of the others given similar deals worked for the majority caucuses: Democrats in the Senate and Republicans in the Assembly.
indentThe caucus staffs were dissolved in January under an agreement between lawmakers and the state Ethics and Elections boards. Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard and Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann have been investigating the caucuses since June.
indentEfforts to reach Wittwer and Krug Wednesday were unsuccessful.

State Journal reporter Dee J. Hall contributed to this article.