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Prosecutors in a secret John Doe investigation are seeking to find whether recent recall campaigns coordinated their work with groups engaged in so-called “issue advocacy,” according to legal papers filed this week in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee.

The filing suggests such advocacy, which is not regulated because it stops short of expressly advocating for the election or defeat of a particular candidate, must be reported as campaign contributions if it is done at the behest or in concert with a campaign.

“Simply put, contributions to a candidate’s campaign must be reported whether or not they constitute express advocacy,” according to the brief written on behalf of John Doe prosecutor Francis Schmitz and members of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.

The filing offers the clearest indication yet of the focus of the sweeping five-county investigation.

Despite legal challenges seeking to halt the investigation, two national campaign finance experts said prosecutors are on solid legal ground.