Wisconsin AG balances politics and the law

CHICAGO — As a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is a political and partisan advocate.

As the state’s top law enforcement officer, Kaul is required to apply the law fairly without favor to any political preferences of Wisconsin citizens.

While attending the DNC, Kaul took time to explain the balance required to be a partisan politician and an attorney general.

“First of all, it’s about prioritizing the work you do for the state,” Kaul said. “My top priority as attorney general is to make sure everyone is safe.”

On the other hand, he said, he’s been a candidate for office and appreciates the political process.

“It really matters to support people for office,” Kaul said. “That’s why I’m here to support the Harris-Walz ticket, Sen. Baldwin and picking up seats in the state Legislature.”

At times, Kaul is responsible for enforcing laws that he would not have supported as a political matter.

“That comes up all the time,” he said. “There are laws that I may not have voted for, but that’s part of the role of being the attorney general.

“One thing I’ve been clear about since I first ran for AG is our top priority is to protect the rule of law and make sure that it is even-handedly enforced,” Kaul said.

There are, however, issues of priority in applying the law, Kaul said.

“For example, I prioritized clean air and clean water more than my predecessor,” he said. “I prioritized fighting the opioid epidemic by holding opioid companies responsible.

“But at the end of the day, the law must be applied equally regardless of political affiliation,” Kaul said.

Kaul, a Yale and Stanford graduate, has clerked for a federal appeals judge, worked for a private practice firm and was a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Baltimore before being elected Wisconsin attorney general in 2018. He was reelected in 2022.

Kaul said Republicans can no longer claim to be the party of law and order.

“Donald Trump is not only someone who has been convicted of 30 or more felony charges, he’s said he is going to pardon hundreds of people who were convicted in connection with what they did on January 6,” Kaul said. “He has attacked judges in the legal process.

“He clearly does not think the law should be applied equally to everybody,” Kaul said. “But instead, Trump says we should pick favorites based on who they support politically. That’s fundamentally inconsistent with the rule of law.”

Kaul contrasted his views of Trump with vice president and current Democratic candidate for president Kamala Harris.

“She is a former prosecutor, the attorney general of the largest state in the country,” Kaul said. “She took on people responsible for mortgage fraud and held them accountable, and she’s prosecuted dangerous criminals.”

Kaul said a phrase from President Joe Biden applies to Harris.

“The gist of that is ‘don’t tell me what you believe, show me your budget.’ Just look at the Biden-Harris budgets,” Kaul said.

“The Biden-Harris administration budgeted increased funding for public safety including law enforcement,” Kaul said. “Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have consistently attacked the budget for our federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and DOJ.”