Rep. Bill Kramer charged with sexual assault in 2011 case

Rep. Bill Kramer (left) answers questions after Kramer was elected Republican Assembly majority leader in September. Credit: Associated Press

March 28, 2014

By Jason Stein and Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel

March 28, 2014 0

Madison — Rep. Bill Kramer has been charged with two felony counts of second-degree sexual assault on allegations of groping a female legislative staffer in Muskego three years ago, raising anew the question of whether he will be able to remain in his post until the end of his term.

The charges issued by a Waukesha County prosecutor come one month after Kramer, 49, was accused of groping another aide and sexual harassing a lobbyist in a separate recent incident after a Washington, D.C., fundraiser. On Monday, the Waukesha Republican filed paperwork saying he would not run for re-election but so far has not stepped down from his post, which he holds until January.

Deputy District Attorney Debra Blasius filed the charges Friday, alleging that Kramer had grabbed the breasts and groin of a legislative staffer in Muskego after a Republican event at a bar there. He has his initial appearance scheduled for April 14.

A certified public accountant and attorney with a degree from Duke University Law School, Kramer now faces the most serious legal issue of his career — each count of sexual assault carries a potential penalty of up to $100,000 in fines and 40 years in prison.

Jim Gatzke, Kramer's attorney, said Friday that he believes his client will be exonerated.

Assembly Republicans stripped Kramer of his title as majority leader earlier this month after accusations of misconduct at the more recent Washington event.

At an April 8, 2011, "Pints and Politics" event at the High Tide Pub & Grill in Muskego, Kramer was "really drunk and was sloppy, stumbling, louder and more obnoxious than usual," according to the charges. He asked the woman bringing the complaint to give him a ride.

The woman was a congressional staffer, and the case is a sensitive one because it involves Republicans in the Waukesha County area who all know and have worked with each other in various capacities.

Sources previously have described to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel an incident involving Kramer and a congressional staffer that occurred in the "recent past." The newspaper does not identify the names of possible victims of sexual assaults or harassment unless they agree.

'Shocked, numb'

In the parking lot of the High Tide, Kramer shoved the woman against a car, kissed her forcibly and put his hands up her shirt, according to the complaint.

"(The victim) states she continued to tell him 'no and don't' as she turned her head away from him and pushed at his hands," the complaint says.

The woman was "shocked, numb and not thinking clearly" and drove Kramer to another part of the parking lot. When they arrived, he locked the car doors, kissed her again, grabbed her groin and tried to look down her shirt, according to the charges.

The incident "severely impacted" the woman emotionally and led her to seek professional help, the complaint says.

The victim didn't go to police at the time to report the incident because she didn't want to embarrass Kramer, the Republican Party and her family. But she did tell Waukesha County GOP vice chairman Keith Best as well as a female friend who witnessed Kramer and the woman in the bar's parking lot. Both confirmed to Muskego police that the woman and Kramer had been present at the bar that night and that the woman had later been distraught.

The woman also had an attorney send Kramer a letter stating that he had assaulted her and needed to get treatment for his drinking.

"Rest assured that if you persist with your sexually and or physically inappropriate behavior toward her or another she will reconsider her decision not to go to the authorities," the attorney wrote, according to the complaint.

The woman went to police on March 5, just days after the more recent allegations surfaced of Kramer's misconduct in Washington, D.C.

Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel said earlier this week that the possible charges were being independently reviewed by one of the prosecutors in his office.

Schimel, a Republican candidate for attorney general, announced earlier this month that he was giving a $500 campaign donation from Kramer to charity after the first allegations were made against the lawmaker.

The district attorney said Wednesday that he has known Kramer for a long time and supported his past runs for the Assembly. In addition, he knows another unidentified person connected with the case, making it inappropriate for him to be involved for multiple reasons, Schimel said.

Aides to Kramer, who has checked himself into an unspecified treatment program, had no comment. Kramer himself didn't respond to a phone message seeking comment.

Conflicting statements

In conflicting statements to authorities, Kramer first told a Muskego police detective that he kissed the woman good night and then said, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."He said they kissed before in 2008 — something the woman denied to police. Kramer said he was "sure (he) put (his) hands somewhere" but didn't touch her breasts, according to the complaint.

"(The victim) has very nice doctor enhanced breasts. I am not a big fan of those I like the real ones," Kramer told the detective.

Assembly lawmakers have not sought further disciplinary action against Kramer after the decision by Republicans to remove him from his leadership post and replace him with Rep. Pat Strachota (R-West Bend). Under Assembly rules, Kramer could be reprimanded, censured or expelled by his fellow lawmakers.

But doing so would take a full vote of the Assembly — two-thirds of that house's lawmakers would have to vote as a bloc for expulsion. The Assembly finished its last regular floor session on Friday, and so far Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) has not weighed in on whether lawmakers should be brought back to consider the question.

"The speaker plans on having a discussion with the leadership team about the serious matter. However, at this time, the Assembly is not scheduled to come back to the floor this legislative session," spokeswoman Kit Beyer said.

Gov. Scott Walker and others have called on Kramer to resign. His district is overwhelmingly Republican, and the GOP is widely expected to retain the seat in the November elections.

Witnesses have alleged that Kramer hugged a legislative staffer and touched her breasts at a social event after the D.C. fundraiser. He also allegedly made vulgar remarks about his sexual prowess to a lobbyist on that night of Feb. 26 and again the next day on a flight back to Wisconsin.

The legislative aide has filed a personnel complaint against Kramer. It is being investigated by Mark Kaeppel, the Legislature's human resources manager, and the review is ongoing, Assembly Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller said.

Kramer's stint as majority leader was brief. He was elected to the post in September, after then-Majority Leader Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) stepped down from the Assembly.

Rep. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) raised concerns about Kramer's behavior at the time.

Among the other women now speaking up about Kramer is former Assembly Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, a Madison Democrat who like Kramer once served in Assembly leadership.

She has said that in 2011 she asked Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) to keep her committee assignments with Kramer to a minimum. Roys, 34, said she made that request because of the "creepy" way that Kramer, 49, touched her back or shoulder on a couple of occasions.

In the case of the alleged assault at the High Tide, Kramer said to the detective, "I am sure (the woman) said something about it not going any further, that is why I went home. I am sure that happened but I don't remember it. I have been turned down a lot."

About Jason Stein

Jason Stein covers the state Capitol and is the author with his colleague Patrick Marley of "More than They Bargained For: Scott Walker, Unions and the Fight for Wisconsin." His work has been recognized by journalism groups such as the American Society of News Editors, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors.

About Daniel Bice

Daniel Bice is a Watchdog columnist covering Wisconsin government and politics. His “No Quarter” column has won a National Headliner Award for best local interest column.