Wisconsin governor lashes out at GOP Senate

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is lashing out at Republicans who control the state Senate after they voted to fire his agriculture department secretary.

Evers watched the debate Tuesday from the floor of the Senate, a highly unusual move for a governor. Minutes after the Senate voted to fire the secretary, Evers told reporters he was “p.o.’d” and described the vote using an expletive.

Evers says Republicans were trying to send a signal to other Cabinet secretaries who haven’t been confirmed to keep quiet. Evers says he won’t tell his Cabinet secretaries to remain quiet in order to protect their jobs.

Republicans were unhappy with the agriculture secretary, Brad Pfaff, because of critical comments he made about the Legislature and his efforts to change rules designed to lessen the impact of the stench of manure on neighbors of farmers.