Terry Brand. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
ANTIGO, WI (WSAU-WAOW) — Republican Party of Langlade County Chair Terry Brand tells WAOW TV he disagrees with the allegations brought against him by the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.
Brand and vice chair Leonard Boltz are being recommended felony money laundering charges for their alleged role in a scheme to get around Wisconsin campaign laws.
An article from WisPolitics.com says the Langlade County GOP donated more than $44,000 to the campaign of Adam Steen, who ran for the State Assembly in 2022 against Robin Vos. Brand says the party had an interest in the race because they didn’t like how Vos was handling things in Madison. “We felt it was a negative for at least Langlade County, as well as most of the other counties, especially the northern counties, that Robin Vos was not a good influence on our Assembly people,” Brand said.
Per state law, there is no cap on how much county parties can contribute to campaigns.
The Wisconsin Ethics Commission has recommended the Langlade County District Attorney investigate.
Brand, who is also the mayor of Antigo, claims they were compliant with state law in their actions. “I feel we followed all the laws, and there just happened to be some laws that Robin Vos was part of making and I guess for the first time ever, someone else had used those laws to help a candidate challenge Robin Vos,” he said.
The Ethics Commission claims those donations were to unseat Vos, and Brand claims the allegations are a scheme by Vos to send a message to the state of Wisconsin.
“If it was something that was that important, don’t you think they would have dealt with it back in November of 2022, or sooner than now? But I think he’s delayed this to push it out so it’s right before campaign season and election season as a distraction. He wants to make sure everybody in the state gets the message, ‘Don’t mess with Robin Vos,'” he said.
News 9 did not immediately hear back from Boltz in a request for comment.
The Wisconsin Ethics Commission denied an interview request.
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