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'''Court Ignored Evidence of Coordination with Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce:''' The Wisconsin Supreme Court held that coordination with groups that run express advocacy ads or their functional equivalent was barred, yet the court failed to look at the many ads that qualified as express advocacy or its functional equivalent and fired the special prosecutor when he objected.<ref name="FalsePremise">Arn Pearson, [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/09/13145/Leaked-Documents-Court-Dismissal-John-Doe-Investigation-False-Premise Leaked Documents Show Court's Dismissal of the John Doe Was Based on a False Premise], ''PRWatch.org'', September 22, 2016.</ref> The coordination was apparent in the ads. "Forward—Walker, Backwards—Barrett" was a central theme in Walker campaign ads showing people walking backwards, clocks spinning backwards, etc., including [http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgvP1eAA.html this May 7, 2012 ad]. Republican Governors Association ads had the same theme, as did adds by WMC-IMC and other smaller groups like Wisconsin Recall Action.<ref name="SupremeCoverUp"/> Many of these ads were the functional equivalent of express advocacy, say experts.<ref name="FalsePremise"/>
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'''Court Ignored Evidence of Coordination with Express Advocacy Group:''' For instance: Prosecutors alleged that "FOSW and its agents were regularly conducting meetings/conference calls with RGA to discuss campaign strategy including polling. Governor Walker conducted phone calls and attended fundraising events coordinated by RGA."<ref name="SupremeCoverUp"/> ''The Guardian'' released emails from the investigation providing information that Keith Gilkes, Scott Walker's campaign manager, held weekly meetings with the Republican Governor's Association -- registered in the state as an "independent expenditure" group -- which had sworn an oath not to coordinate with Walker. On October 14, 2011, an RGA staffer wrote to Gilkes in an email, "Josh mentioned he would like to make this a recurring call on Fridays at 2:30 pm (EST). Does that work for you?" Gilkes replied, "This works on my end for a weekly call... Shoot me the phone number and dial-in when you have it."<ref>[https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3105983-2013-09-16-Exhibits-41.html/#document/p71 John Doe Emails], p. 71.</ref> Josh is likely Josh Robinson, RGA's political director, who later boasted of "overseeing the largest IE [Independent Expenditure] campaign defending Scott Walker during the 2012 recalls" in his bio. RGA spent $9.5 million in the recall election pounding Walker's opponent and lauding Walker. Many contend these ads were not "issue ads" but were the functional equivalent of express advocacy and prohibited even under the 2015 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling shutting down the John Doe. Marquette Law Professor Ed Fallone pointed out in 2017 that a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a lower court ruling also makes clear that the Wisconsin Supreme Court plainly got it wrong when it ruled that so-called "issue ads" are exempt from regulation.<ref>Edward A. Fallone, [http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2017/02/27/more-doubts-about-the-courts-resolution-of-the-john-doe-investigation/ More Doubts About the Court’s Resolution of the John Doe Investigation], Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog, February 27, 2017.</ref>
'''Court Ignored Evidence of Coordination with Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce:''' Prosecutors believe that Governor Scott Walker raised $2 million for these '''Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce-IMC''' ads that were run in his 2012 recall race and that his top campaign aide, R.J. Johnson, may have been paid for placing them. Investigators say in the filings that bank records reflect wire transfers in April and May 2012 from WMC-IMC to Ten Capitol (the ad firm of WCM) totaling $3.7 million. "Coinciding with the wire transfers to Ten Capitol, WMC-IMC received payments from WiCFG," wrote prosecutors. "Consistent with a commission for ad placement, R.J. Johnson and Associates received $50,000 from Ten Capitol on June 22, 2012."<ref name="SupremeCoverUp"/> For prosecutors arguments, see [[http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3105195-2013-10-01-Stelter-Aff.html/#document/p15 Stetler Affidavit]], dated Oct. 1, 2013, published in the Guardian, Sept. 2016.
===Justice Gableman, R.J. Johnson Relationship===
