OSHKOSH – The Ron Johnson campaign today launched an effort to bring more transparency to Lt. Gov. Barnes’ excessive and unprecedented use of taxpayer funded security. In the months from his inauguration in 2019 to just after he announced his Senate campaign in 2021, Lt. Gov. Barnes ran up more than $600,000 in State Patrol costs for events like two out of state marathons, concerts, trips to campaign events and even going to church. All this despite Barnes’ past support for defunding the police and abolishing ICE.
But much of Lt. Gov. Barnes’ calendars, obtained through an open records request, remain redacted. How many other marathons did taxpayers pick up the tab for him to travel to? How many Bucks, Brewers, Packers or Badgers games did Lt. Gov. Barnes make State Patrol attend? Any other Death Cab For Cutie concerts like the one he dragged his taxpayer-paid-for buddies to?
Since Barnes won’t answer questions from the media himself about his travels (or anything else), curious members of the public are encouraged to dig in and get sleuthing themselves. They can report suspected egregious travel through an email address the campaign has established for the contest and be eligible for prizes.
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