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John Doe: Prosecutors Fight to Continue Probe

Prosecutors investigating ties between conservative funders and Gov. Walker's 2012 recall campaign have asked federal appeals court to let the probe continue.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and Special Prosecutor Francis Schmitz filed their appeal on Thursday, in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

They're asking the court to halt a ruling by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa. Last week, he ordered prosecutors to stop the John Doe investigation they've reportedly been conducting for nearly two years and to destroy all evidence they've collected.

Prosecutors immediately appealed Randa's ruling last week, and the federal appeals court halted his order to destroy evidence. It also said he could not halt the John Doe because he had not ruled on another pending issue. He then satisfied that requirement and reinstated his order to stop the investigation.

Now prosecutors want the federal appeals court to prevent Randa from taking any action on the probe, while the issue is tied up in court.

While very little information about the secret John Doe has become public, it appears to focus on whether there may have been illegal coordination between several Wisconsin GOP candidate campaigns and conservative interests.