Today, the final pre-trial hearing was held for Tim Russell, one of Gov. Scott Walker’s top aides who has now been charged with multiple felonies.  As Charles Pierce reports, it was revealed that Russell had given his attorney permission to leak damaging information about Walker to the press: 

The conference in chambers lasted a little more than an hour. Once court resumed, Judge Hansher ruled that the trial itself would not begin until September, which, he said, would give the publicity surrounding the recall election a chance to die down, and ensure that Russell got a fair and impartial jury. Then, Hansher began talking about the document that had somehow gotten into the hands of Daniel Bice. “In chambers,” the judge said, “Mr. Krueger admitted that he had given the material to Mr. Bice and that he had done so with his client’s consent. Is that true?”

“Yes,” said Dennis Krueger.

That got heads snapping to attention. Tim Russell’s lawyer — and, therefore, Tim Russell — had made public damaging information about Scott Walker and undermined the whole ethical basis of the governor’s response to charges that he had misused his public office for private gain. It is not unreasonable to assume that this either was a warning shot — take care of me or you’re going down, too — or evidence that Russell already has rolled.