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In 2013, Franklin Center's "[[Wisconsin Reporter]]" website published over a dozen articles aggressively attacking Wisconsin's "John Doe" probe into possible campaign finance violations during Wisconsin's 2011 and 2012 recall elections, and broke stories about the investigation. The Center for Media and Democracy (publishers of Sourcewatch.org) uncovered in December 2013 that the news outlet may have a conflict of interest, as "Franklin Center has close ties to individuals and groups that may be caught up in the John Doe."
Franklin Center/Wisconsin Reporter called its series on the John Doe "Wisconsin's Secret War," and cited "unnamed sources to reveal that Wisconsin Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity, and Republican Governors Association had received subpoenas, and describing details about "after-hours visits to homes and offices" and prosecutors' "demands for phone, email and other records." <ref name="WCFG Franklin">Brendan Fischer, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/12/12344/why-franklin-center-wisconsin-reporter-attacking-john-doe Why Are the Franklin Center's "Wisconsin Reporter" and "Watchdog.org" Attacking the John Doe?], PRwatch.org, Dec. 19, 2013. </ref>
Franklin Center/Wisconsin Reporter described the John Doe investigation as "an abuse of prosecutorial powers" with "the apparent goal of bringing down Gov. Scott Walker." However, the news outlet had what journalism professors called "a conflict of interest that minimally ought to be disclosed, whenever stories are written."
The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity was a "Vice-Chairman" level sponsor of 2011 [[American Legislative Exchange Council]] (ALEC) Annual Conference, which in 2010, equated to $25,000. The Franklin Center was one of about 60 companies and institutions represented in the conference exhibition hall.<ref>American Legislative Exchange Council, 2011 Conference Sponsors, conference brochure on file with CMD, August 11, 2011.</ref>
Franklin Center board member<ref>Franklin Center, [http://franklincenterhq.org/invest/board-of-directors/ Board of Directors], organizational website, accessed July 2013.</ref> and North Dakota Republican Representative [[Blair Thoreson]] chairs ALEC's [[Communications and Technology Task Force]]<ref>American Legislative Exchange Council, [http://www.alec.org/task-forces/telecommunications-and-information-technology/ Communications and Technology Task Force], organizational website, accessed July 2013.</ref> and penned an op-ed supporting ALEC in the face of criticism over its role in pushing "[https://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Castle_Doctrine Stand Your Ground]" and "[https://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/d/d9/7G16-VOTER_ID_ACT_Exposed.pdf Voter ID]" legislation in April 2012.<ref>Blair Thoreson, [http://franklincenterhq.org/5152/commentary-progressive-war-on-alec/ Commentary: Progressive War on ALEC], franklincenterhq.org organizational website article, April 18, 2012.</ref> Thoreson was not the only Franklin Center personnel member to publicly defend ALEC. As ''Media Matters'' reported, Franklin President [[Jason Stverak]] and Vice President of Journalism Steven Greenhut joined in as well.<ref>Matt Gertz, [http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/07/12/flashback-franklin-centers-full-throated-defens/187096 FLASHBACK: Franklin Center's Full-Throated Defense Of ALEC], ''Media Matters'', July 12, 2012.</ref><ref>Jason Stverak, [http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/04/27/ALEC-and-Misleading-Journalism-A-Case-Study ALEC AND MISLEADING JOURNALISM: A CASE STUDY], ''Breitbart.com'', April 26, 2012.</ref><ref>Steven Greenhut, [http://franklincenterhq.org/5192/attacks-on-alec-hypocritical-and-unfair/ COMMENTARY: Attacks on ALEC hypocritical and unfair], franklincenterhq.org organizational website article, April 19, 2012.</ref> All three commentaries were posted in the days immediately after an ALEC staffer begged for help from Breitbart bloggers and the rest of the right-wing blogosphere at a [[Heritage Foundation]] "Bloggers Briefing" April 17, 2012.<ref>Rebekah Wilce, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/04/11458/alec-sends-out-sos-breitbart-bloggers ALEC Sends Out an SOS to Breitbart Bloggers], ''PRWatch.org'', April 18, 2012.</ref>
{{about_ALEC}}
===Ties to Coalition for American Values===
The [[Coalition for American Values]] (CAV) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit whose only major activities have been spending $400,080 on ads supporting Wisconsin Governor [[Scott Walker]] in the final weeks of the 2012 recall elections. While the CAV did not disclose its funders at the time, tax filings later revealed that almost all of its funding in 2012 came from the Koch-tied [[Center to Protect Patient Rights]], run by Koch operative [[Sean Noble]].<ref name="koch network funded">Brendan Fischer, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2014/01/12354/exclusive-koch-network-funded-ads-telling-voters-recall-not-wisconsin-way Exclusive: Ads Telling Voters 'Recall Is Not the Wisconsin Way' Funded by Out-of-State Koch Network]," Center for Media and Democracy's ''PRWatch.org'', January 8, 2014.</ref>
CAV's lawyer, James D. Skyles, was previously General Counsel and Director of Operations at the [[Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity]].<ref>Andy Kroll, "[http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/06/wisconsin-recall-coalition-american-values-scott-walker Could this Pro-Walker Dark-Money Group Torpedo Recall Turnout?]," ''Mother Jones'', June 5, 2012.</ref>
The CAV's federal PAC has also paid money to a consulting firm run by John Connors, a leader of operations at the Franklin Center, and president of the group "[[Citizens for a Strong America]]," which was also active in the Wisconsin recall elections and kept its donors hidden, while operating out of a UPS drop box.<ref name="koch network funded"/><ref name="graves csa">Lisa Graves, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/04/10534/group-called-citizens-strong-america-operates-out-ups-mail-drop-runs-expensive-ad Group Called "Citizens for a Strong America" Operates out of a UPS Mail Drop but Runs Expensive Ads in Supreme Court Race?]," Center for Media and Democracy, PRWatch, April 2, 2011. Accessed July 29, 2014.</ref>
Additionally, as the Center for Media and Democracy reported,<ref>Brendan Fischer, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/12/12344/why-franklin-center-wisconsin-reporter-attacking-john-doe Why Are the Franklin Center's "Wisconsin Reporter" and "Watchdog.org" Attacking the John Doe?], ''PRWatch.org'', December 19, 2013.</ref> "[t]he 'treasurer' listed on Coalition for American Values' FEC filings and the contact on its filings with Wisconsin's election board is Brent Downs. In 2008, when Connors chaired the Marquette College Republicans, Downs was his treasurer. Both were both students at Marquette University at the same time, and Downs, like Connors, also chaired the Students for Prosperity chapter of [[David Koch]]'s [[Americans for Prosperity]] at Marquette University."
Connors' Citizens for a Strong America was entirely funded by Wisconsin Club for Growth and has been under investigation in the [[Scott Walker#Second John Doe Investigation, February 2012-Present|"John Doe" campaign finance investigation]]. The Franklin Center was founded in part by Koch operative [[Eric O'Keefe]], head of the [[Wisconsin Club for Growth]].
