Patrick Marley for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel relied on help from lawyers suing prosecutors and investigators when he filed a friend-of-the-court brief in January that would make it harder for Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm to defend himself.

Documents released Tuesday under the state’s open records law show the lawyers suing Chisholm provided Schimel’s team with an outline of how to frame its argument trying to keep Chisholm from having easy access to material seized in a probe of Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign.

The release of the records highlights an unusual situation — the state’s top lawyer working with attorneys who hope to force taxpayers to shell out money because of the actions of public officials.