Doyle and Troha Sitting In A Tree

Cozy.

The Dec. 20 party was the second Christmas get-together at Troha’s house that Doyle attended since becoming governor in 2003, Doyle spokesman Matt Canter said; Doyle was also a guest at Troha’s 2004 yuletide celebration.

Doyle’s party appearances were acknowledged after an open records request produced a schedule that listed a “Kenosha Holiday Party,” last December and come amid intense scrutiny over the governor’s relationship with Troha. Until last month, Troha was the developer of a proposed $808 million tribal casino in Kenosha and is the former owner of a major trucking firm now at the center of a multi-state tax dispute.

The records provide “new insight into the coziness of their relationship,” said Mike McCabe, director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a watchdog group.

It’s getting harder for Doyle to claim that he was ignorant of Troha’s generosity to his campaign ambitions.