Why Is Multimillionaire Johnson Hiding Money He is Spending On Campaign?
MADISON — Multimillionaire U.S. Senate Candidate Ron Johnson has already spent nearly $1 million of his own money on his campaign, including over $770,000 on television advertising. But neither the people of Wisconsin nor the media know where the money is coming from.
Why? Because Johnson isn’t telling…
Johnson failed to file his legally-required personal financial disclosure that was due on June 2, delaying the release of information about how Johnson is using his family fortune to fund his campaign. Johnson’s delay means that he could hide details of his personal finances until after the filing deadline for Wisconsin U.S Senate candidates.
On Monday, despite his refusal to abide by federal ethics rules in a timely manner, Johnson gave his family fortune as the “bottom line” reason he’s a better candidate than his Republican primary opponent Dave Westlake:
“Bottom line, I’m going to need to spend money to get my message out and Dave’s not going to be able to do that.”
Johnson has said he will spend $10 – $15 million of his family fortune. He also famously told George Will he will spend “all of it” in hopes of buying the U.S. Senate election.
“What is Johnson hiding and why is he hiding it? Every other candidate has complied by filing in the legally-required timeframe, including Terrence Wall. What makes Johnson so special?,” said Mike Tate, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “We have a tradition here in Wisconsin of transparency – and Johnson is thumbing his nose at that tradition.”
Besides hiding his finances from voters, he’s also hiding from reporters. According to a report by WQOW-TV in Eau Claire – where Johnson attended a Republican Party office opening – he avoided taking any questions from the media:
“US Senate Candidate Ron Johnson was the guest speaker. He would not take questions from the media.”
The media outlet Politico also published a report on the Wisconsin senate race recently noting: “Johnson’s campaign declined to make the candidate available for an interview.”
