Former Democratic Party Chairman Matt Flynn, D-Milwaukee, joined the crowd yesterday of second-tier Democrats running for governor on Tuesday. Flynn, a former attorney with Quarles & Brady, is a four-time election loser: the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978 and 2004, and the U.S. Senate in 1986 and 1988.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Dan Bice reported Tuesday that Flynn’s representation of the Milwaukee Archdiocese at the height of the revelations about the sexual abuse scandals may haunt his candidacy.
Flynn told Bice that he has no regrets over how he defended the archdiocese during the scandals. However, the old wounds have not healed. One victim of sexual abuse claimed the archdiocese put a lien on his house for court costs when he unsuccessfully sued after the statute of limitations had expired. Flynn was also accused of offering to “throw a crumb” to an attorney’s clients if he dropped five cases of sexual abuse. Flynn denies the “crumb” charge and claims the archdiocese lifted the lien as soon as it was made aware of the situation.
