MADISON -- In his latest reelection announcement video, Attorney General Brad Schimel attempts to cover up his career of blatant partisanship with a laughable claim that he has been “independent” as Wisconsin’s AG.

“Wisconsin has never seen an attorney general more wedded to the GOP’s extreme, anti-Wisconsin agenda,” said Martha Laning, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “As attorney general, Brad Schimel never hesitated to help out special interest groups and his Republican donors before the people of Wisconsin. The idea that Schimel is ‘independent’ would be funny if it weren’t so untrue.”

During his term as Wisconsin’s attorney general, Schimel has made it clear that he takes no issue enthusiastically doing the bidding of the GOP partisans:

He joined numerous lawsuits over the years to weaken the Affordable Care Act. Just two weeks ago, Schimel announced a lawsuit to “end” Obamacare, a clear and desperate election year-driven stunt. Republicans in Congress, and at the state level, have spent the last eight years attempting to sabotage Obamacare for political gain, and Schimel’s latest lawsuit is no more than an attempt to gin up support with extremists on the far-right.

He continues to refuse to stand up for Wisconsinites and join a lawsuit to hold opioid manufacturers accountable: Hundreds of state, cities and counties have filed lawsuits against the opioid manufacturers responsible for the current opioid crisis, but Schimel, the only state candidate or state office holder to receive a contribution by Purdue Pharmaceutical’s Political Action Committee, won’t stand up to his donors and hold big pharma accountable.

He welcomed the National Rifle Association (NRA) into his AG office on his second day on the job: According to records obtained by One Wisconsin Now, Schimel invited a lobbyist from the NRA into his office on his second day in office. The NRA is a divisive organization that should have no role in influencing policy in an “independent” attorney general’s office.

He attempted to suppress the Democratic vote with his so-called “Election Integrity Unit:” Ahead of the November election in 2016, Schimel announced an effort to send poll monitors to heavily Democratic areas to find statistically nonexistent voter fraud. Schimel was clearly following the beat of then-candidate for president Donald Trump’s drum who suggested throughout his campaign and even after that the election would not be fair.

He sued the Obama administration over rules that would guarantee fair pay for overtime work. Schimel has used his position as attorney general to make certain workers earning ⅙ of his salary don’t receive overtime pay.

“As the rape kit backlog remains and the opioid crisis in Wisconsin festers, it’s no wonder that Brad Schimel is cowardly running from his record,” added Laning. “Wisconsinites want an attorney general who will confront the real issues they face rather than spending their money on golden-coin swag. Schimel has used his position to pursue partisan policies that put the whims of his wealthy donors and Republican special interests over the needs of working Wisconsinites.”