But Gruszynski, who was defeated last year in a Democratic primary election after the allegations against him became known, says that, if it were up to him, the records the Assembly is still seeking to withhold would have been released long ago.

“We were trying to do that, but the Assembly rules wouldn’t allow us,” Gruszynski told me by phone recently. In fact, he got his own first look at the records when they were released to the media in August 2020, eight months after they were requested and one day after the election in which he was soundly defeated.

The records detailed the Legislature’s investigation of a legislative aide’s complaint that Gruszynski had drunkenly propositioned her in a bar, conduct to which he admitted. Redacted from the documents were some names and a portion of Gruszynski’s statement to investigators related to his health – presumably, his alcoholism.

Media including the Wisconsin State Journal, Capital Times, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Associated Press sued over the delay and redactions, which Dane County Judge Juan Colas agreed were improper. He ordered the Assembly to provide unredacted versions and pay the media requesters’ legal costs. The appeal puts this on hold, and will drive those costs upward.

Gruszynski, who apologized for his behavior, stopped drinking, and attended anti-harassment training, says he would have liked for the records to have been released earlier.

“Without having the documents, we had nothing to contradict the claims that were being made,” Gruszynski says. “Personally and as a campaign, we would rather have had more information out.”

So now the Legislature is spending the public’s money to keep the public from seeing these records, contrary to the wishes of the main person they concern.