Former Walker aide loses attempts to have charges dismissed

A former aide to Governor Scott Walker when Walker was Milwaukee County Executive has lost several attempts to have the criminal charges against him dismissed.

Tim Russell and Walker were close over the years, and Russell became County Executive Walker’s deputy chief of staff. Russell now faces three counts of theft, allegedly for embezzling money from a veteran’s charity and from the campaigns of two county supervisor candidates. Tuesday, Milwaukee County judge David Hansher rejected Russell’s requests to dismiss the case. At one point, Hansher admonished Russell for claiming prosecutors don’t want to give Russell a fair trial.

Hansher also criticized Russell and his lawyer for releasing documents that put Governor Walker in an unflattering light just before Walker’s final recall debate against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Russell’s case is scheduled to go to trial in September.