Here & Now

Wisconsin's New Probes Into the 2020 Presidential Vote

Frederica Freyberg:

More than nine months after the 2020 presidential race, that election is still being scrutinized by an increasingly vocal group of Wisconsin conservatives. Reporter Will Kenneally details where the two competing investigations stand.

David Clarke:

We, the people, must never surrender our right to scrutinize election results. And that’s what we’re doing here.

Will Kenneally:

The debate over how to investigate the 2020 election is causing a rift among state Republicans and has spilled out on to the national stage. On one side, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. He tapped former Supreme Court justice Michael Gableman to investigate claims of election irregularities. On the other side

[chanting USA]

State Representative Janel Brandtjen, chair of the Assembly Elections Committee. She is the standard bearer for the ultraconservative wing of the Republican Party that says Vos is not doing enough.

David Clarke:

Now on the issue of a need for a full cyber forensic audit, this is being thwarted by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

Will Kenneally:

Late this week, even former President Donald Trump weighed in on the split. Saying in a statement, “All eyes are on Wisconsin as they begin their election audit. Hopefully Republican Speaker Robin Vos has the integrity and strength Wisconsin needs to support Representative Brandtjen’s efforts.”

Man:

He wants to give us the pretense of an audit but what we actually want is for somebody to look at the machines.

Will Kenneally:

Brandtjen is pushing for what she’s calling a “forensic” audit of the 2020 elections in Wisconsin, after visiting Arizona to witness the review there.

Janel Brandtjen:

Listen, more eyes is better, right?

Will Kenneally:

While there is no widely understood definition of “forensic,” supporters say it means to bring a higher, scientific bar of scrutiny to the investigation. Democrats call that laughable and slam the investigations. Governor Tony Evers calls them a “clown show.” But Brandtjen is all in.

Janel Brandtjen:

The clock is getting tight here and I want to make sure that I’ve exhausted everything that I can as chair to make sure that we can rebuild confidence and trust in the state of Wisconsin’s elections.

Will Kenneally:

Vos defends his own investigation and brought heft to it by hiring Gableman. He also invoked a formal examination of the election by the Legislative Audit Bureau.

Robin Vos:

We’re already doing a forensic audit, so just like perhaps President Trump was misinformed about what we’re actually doing in Wisconsin, I feel like my colleague Representative Brandtjen is misinformed about what we’re doing in Wisconsin.

Will Kenneally:

It’s important to note there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Wisconsin. Former President Donald Trump’s challenges to the election were rejected multiple times by both state and federal courts, including by a Trump-appointed federal judge in Milwaukee. Out of more than three million votes cast in the state last November, only 27 were identified for possible fraud. Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s dueling investigations are treading into unchartered territory. Gableman raised eyebrows this week when he attended a conspiracy-laden event in South Dakota hosted by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell. Lindell calls the results of the 2020 election “the big lie.”

Mike Lindell:

Here is Wisconsin. Look at that. 20,000 votes by — won by.

Will Kenneally:

For her part, Brandtjen issued subpoenas to Brown and Milwaukee Counties for access to ballots and voting machines. However, legislative counsel attorneys have advised those subpoenas are invalid under state law. Brandtjen says she just wants to affirm the accuracy of the election results and needs the subpoenas to do it.

Janel Brandtjen:

This is basically trying to — from your records, do you have everything we could re-create the election and get to those final numbers?

Will Kenneally:

Beyond that, Brandtjen says she wants to make a future case for changes to the election process. In fact, the state Legislature already passed a slate of election bills in June that would make changes to the election process, like adding more requirements for absentee voters to request ballots. Governor Tony Evers vetoed those bills this week.

Tony Evers:

We’ve watched Republican governors and legislators around our country work quickly to add more hurdles to voting, to discredit the good work of our election officials and try and cast doubt on the election just because they didn’t win. It’s time for those that have stirred the pot to say there’s nothing there.

Will Kenneally:

Any Republican efforts to change how Wisconsin conducts its elections will almost certainly face a veto from Evers. As to the Vos and Brandtjen investigations, they could extend well into 2022. The Audit Bureau anticipates its report to be released later this fall. Reporting for “Here & Now,” I’m Will Kenneally in Madison.

Frederica Freyberg:

Former Justice Gableman tells reporters that he traveled on taxpayer money to Arizona last week to see the review of ballots there and this week to the My Pillow guy’s South Dakota event as part of a fact-finding mission.