Gov. Jim Doyle responded Wednesday to news of indictment charges brought against a state employee for allegedly tampering with the state's procurement process.

A federal grand jury indicted Georgia Thompson, chief of the Wisconsin Department of Administration procurement bureau, Tuesday, charging her with fixing a state travel contract in favor of a company with ties to $20,000 in contributions to Doyle's campaign fund.

"I've made it very clear that I have zero tolerance for any ethical lapses in my Administration," Doyle said in a release regarding the contract.

Doyle said he has "confidence" in the fidelity of the DOA's procurement process, but he also worked to distance himself from Thompson, saying he never met her.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin, however, said involvement by the U.S. Attorney's Office is an indication of the way the Doyle administration conducts business.

"Obviously now that we have indictments, it certainly clouds the conduct of his office," RPW Communications Director Christine Mangi said, adding Doyle's term in office has been "plagued by 'pay-to-play' scandal."

The indictment charges against Thompson stem from a state travel contract that was awarded to Adelman Travel Group in June; federal, state and local investigation have since been leveled at the Doyle administration and the DOA to determine whether the contract was wrongfully awarded to Adelman.

The contract came into question when it was revealed members of the procurement committee actually favored a different travel company for the three-year, $750,000 job.

Craig Adelman, president of Adelman Travel Group, and another top Adelman official each donated $20,000 around the time the state awarded Adelman the contract.

According to the indictment, Thompson is charged with two felony counts for changing her scoring to boost Adelman's scores, using the scoring as a "negotiation tool," suggesting other committee members change their scoring and blocking members from choosing another company for the contract over Adelman.

Despite criticism, Doyle said in a release he stands behind the department's operations and employees, adding Adelman was the lowest bidder during the process — which saved the state $30,000.

Doyle also said he has never met Thompson.

But Mangi said that does not exonerate him for the alleged foul play.

"It doesn't excuse how things have been handled under his watch," Mangi said.

Additionally, Mangi said, the indictment and investigation could be very detrimental to Doyle's chances at reelection and his reputation as the state's highest official.

"The developments that have occurred over the past day have probably been the worst of his term," Mangi said. "And I think that will really play into the election."

However, Doyle said the upcoming 2006 gubernatorial race has exacerbated the controversy over the Adelman contract.

"We take this very seriously," Doyle said in the release. "But we also have to be very careful that election year politics and partisanship don't take the place of fairness — and that a longtime civil servant isn't used as a political football."