Van Hollen v. Warren

The actualities of the brouhaha between Van Hollen and the former CID chief, Jim Warren, are beginning to emerge.

In a nutshell, I suspect Warren was used to running his own show, using his own judgment, and not spending much time informing the Attorney General.

That may well have satisfied Peg "Lift-Und-Schlurp-'Em" Lautenschlager and her palace guard-dog, Dan Bach.

But it did not sit well with Van Hollen.

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said Wednesday he has ordered a review of how criminal investigations have been handled after he learned that a high-profile Milwaukee case was so poorly documented it appears no investigation was conducted at all.

Van Hollen told reporters that the investigation into whether politics played a role in awarding a contract to redevelop the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Kenilworth building was “closed without my knowledge (and) without my consent” and he expected to get feedback before that decision was made.

Asked why he would not be told of decisions like that beforehand, Van Hollen said he relies on key assistants — including former Division of Criminal Investigation chief Jim Warren — to “honestly and forthrightly let me know what is going on.”

Referring to his first year in office, Van Hollen said: “I don’t believe . . . I was necessarily getting that sort of response or feedback” from Warren, who retired early this year rather than be reassigned

One does not have to be a genius to figure this out--although at least two RadioMouths refuse to get it.

Maybe the case in question simply had no "there" there. Obviously, Warren was used to running his own show--and it's likely that his conclusions were the right ones.

Warren just didn't like the idea that he would have to actually report to someone. Neither did two of his top assistants. Too bad that the new Attorney General (Warren's boss) didn't agree.