When asked recently if he would pardon Scott Jensen if elected governor, Mark Green replied in his characteristically decisive manner, "Good Lord". Glad to know where he stands. More information below from the Democratic Facts newsletter:

Question: Mark Green, Would You Pardon Scott Jensen? Green’s Answer: ‘Um, Er, Ahh …’ Friday, June 2, 2006
MADISON – Would you pardon Scott Jensen?

Given that Jensen – the poster child for political corruption – was convicted of three felonies and a misdemeanor for abusing the public’s trust, misusing his state office, and directing state employees to illegally campaign on state time, it’s a pretty easy question to answer. Unless you’re Mark Green, that is.

When initially asked by Wisconsin Public Television whether he would pardon Jensen as Governor, Green! ’s incredible response was “Good Lord.” Green went on to waffle even more, saying “first off, we have a ways to go before we even think about being governor yet.” [Wisconsin Public Television’s Here & Now, 5/19/06]

Then, when given the chance later to redeem himself, Green’s campaign again ducked the subject, issuing a non-response that gives Green plenty of wiggle room to pardon his old buddy from the Assembly.

“It would be inappropriate to comment on something that hasn’t been requested,” Green campaign manager Mark Graul, himself mentioned as a state employee who did illegal campaign work, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It would be inappropriate to comment on something that hasn’t worked its way through the judicial process.” [MJS, 6/2/06]

Governor Doyle’s answer was quite a bit different – and a lot more decisive:

“Absolutely not,” Governor Doyle’s campaign told the newspaper. “Governor Doyle believes that when elected officials ab! use the public’s trust, they should pay the full price. That means serving their full sentence.” [MJS, 6/2/06]

Of course, maybe the answer to Mysterious Mark’s questions lies in his Assembly past.

It was Mark Green who was the Caucus Chair of the Assembly Republicans during the scandal. It was Mark Green and two of his top aides, including Graul, who engaged in illegal campaign work while they worked in the Legislature, according to documents and testimony introduced during Jensen’s trial. [Wisconsin State Journal, 2/24/06] And it was Mark Green who destroyed all of his state electronic files and the files of aide named in the caucus scandal when he left office in 1998. [MJS, 5/12/06]

“Documents show Mark Green was in the thick of the caucus scandal, yet he continues to claim ignorance,” said Michael Murphy, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “First Green destroyed his state files. Now he refuses to answer whether he would pardon Jensen.! Maybe Mark Green has more to hide than we thought.”