Name on caucus immunity list was mistake 10:55 AM
11/27/01
Phil Brinkman State government reporter
A leading fund-raiser for Senate Democrats has not been granted immunity from prosecution as part of the legislative caucus probe, contrary to an earlier report, a Dane County judge said Tuesday.
Michelle McGrorty was mistakenly included on a list released last week of 10 people who received promises they would not be prosecuted in exchange for agreeing to fully answer all questions put to them, Dane County Circuit Judge Sarah O'Brien said.
"I (messed) up," O'Brien said. "It was a mistake." She declined to say how the mistake happened.
The list, which has since grown to 12 names, instead should have included the name of Jon Carson, the former director of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Carson, who reported to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala, is the highest-ranking caucus employee granted immunity. He left the caucus earlier this fall.
Staffers for at least three of the four partisan caucuses have been interviewed by prosecutors as part of the secret court proceeding before O'Brien, known as a John Doe hearing.
The probe, led by Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard and Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann, is looking into allegations of illegal campaign activity by caucus staff and possible destruction of records by at least one caucus.
The hearing is entirely secret - participants are prohibited, even, from acknowledging its existence - although awards of immunity must be made in open court.
Therefore, it's unclear whether McGrorty has not been interviewed or simply hasn't been granted immunity.
McGrorty came under scrutiny last May after someone leaked a confidential lobbyist's memo claiming the then Senate Democratic Caucus executive assistant was raising money full time for Senate Democratic candidates.
McGrorty has refused repeated requests for comment. But Mike Browne, a Chvala spokesman, said any fund raising she did was done on spare time, outside of her state job.
