[Madison, WI] – In case you missed it, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today that Mandela Barnes is enlisting support from a convicted bank fraudster to bankroll his campaign. The host of Barnes’ upcoming fundraiser is the liberal group Democracy Partners led by co-founder Robert Creamer, who was previously convicted for a check-kiting scheme. Meanwhile, Democracy Partners staff were caught admitting to inciting violence at Republican campaign events — causing Creamer to resign in disgrace from his position at Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.
It’s no surprise that Barnes, who has previously neglected to pay his taxes, is palling around with white collar criminals to support his bid for U.S. Senate. Welcome to today’s Wisconsin Democrat Party.
Read more from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel below:
Fundraiser for Mandela Barnes hosted by group caught talking political dirty tricks in 2016 undercover video
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Daniel Bice
November 15, 2021
It’s the host with the most — baggage, that is.
On Wednesday, Democracy Partners, a powerhouse group of liberal activists and organizers, is scheduled to host a large fundraiser at its Washington, D.C., headquarters for Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and his U.S. Senate bid.
The consulting firm was co-founded a decade ago by Robert Creamer, husband of Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and a felon who pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2005 and was sentenced to five months of prison. He is one of five individual hosts of the Barnes event.
More recently, Creamer and others tied to Democracy Partners got caught in 2016 on undercover video in Wisconsin talking about hiring agitators to create havoc at campaign rallies for then-GOP candidate Donald Trump and other political dirty tricks. Creamer, in response, said he was “stepping back” from working for the unified Democratic campaign for then-candidate Hillary Clinton.
On top of all that is this final twist.
One of the other hosts of the Barnes fundraiser will be Lauren Windsor, a liberal activist who does her own “gotcha” videos targeting Republicans. Earlier this year, she caught GOP Sen. Ron Johnson on tape saying Trump lost Wisconsin last year because he underperformed in the state, not because of fraud.
Barnes is leading a large field of Democrats hoping to win their party’s nomination for the seat held by Johnson, who hasn’t decided if he’ll run for a third term.
Over the weekend, Barnes removed all mention of Democracy Partners in the online invitation to the event.
Republicans were quick to criticize the Barnes for linking up with the liberal group.
“The company Mandela Barnes keeps is an indicator of how liberal and radical he really is,” said Lizzie Litzow, spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “If Barnes thinks this is how he can win over Wisconsinites, he is surely mistaken.”
[…]
Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the state Republican Party, said it is telling that Barnes is now aligning himself with the folks at Democracy Partners, led by Creamer.
“So Mandela Barnes … turns to a guy convicted of bank fraud, who brags about illegal activity, to fund his campaign for U.S. Senate – and he may be the Democrat’s front runner,” Kelly said. “Welcome to today’s Wisconsin Democratic Party.”