Monday, May 21, 2012
1:33 PM
House Dems seek to clarify Walker's 2011 testimony
Three Dem members of the House Oversight Committee today sought to clarify Gov. Scott Walker's testimony before their committee last spring in light of controversial comments about unions unveiled in a recent documentary.
In a letter to Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa, U.S. Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Chris Murphy of Connecticut request that the California Republican write to Walker inquiring about his previous testimony.
The lawmakers note that Walker testified that his budget repair bill -- which restricted public employee collective bargaining -- did not have political implications, but pointed to footage unveiled earlier this month showing Walker discussing unions with GOP donor Diane Hendricks.
"This new video raises serious questions about the veracity of Governor Walker’s testimony before our Committee, in which he repeatedly described his decision to strip public sector union workers of collective bargaining rights in purely economic terms," the letter states. "Instead, this video suggests that his motivation was to 'divide and conquer' public sector unions in order to turn Wisconsin into a 'completely red state.'"
"We ask that you write to Governor Walker on behalf of the Committee and request an explanation for why his statements captured on this videotape appear to contradict his testimony before the Committee."