Democratic governor candidate Matt Flynn says he didn’t know former priest was seeking counseling license

WISCONSIN
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

May 9, 2018

MADISON – Under fire for defending the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, candidate for governor Matt Flynn on Wednesday said he did not know at the time that a priest convicted of molesting a boy had gone on to get a license as a counselor.

“If I had known, I would have intervened with that licensing agency and said, ‘No way, why didn’t you do a criminal background check?’ ” Flynn told reporters Wednesday.

Flynn — one of 10 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for governor — was responding to criticism from victims advocates for his handling of the church’s treatment of Father James Arimond, who was convicted of fourth-degree sexual assault of a teenager in 1990.

“Wisconsin deserves so much better than this,” said a statement from Sarah Pearson, co-chairwoman of Women’s March Wisconsin. “At minimum, Wisconsin’s next governor should be someone who can be trusted to protect children from abusers. Matt Flynn is not that person.”

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.