by Benjamin Yount
Wisconsin’s special investigator is adding more to his look into last year’s election.
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman on Wednesday told the Assembly’s Committee on Elections that he is now incorporating the findings from Racine County’s voter fraud investigation into his investigation.
The sheriff in Racine is asking for charges against five Wisconsin Elections Commission members for ordering nursing home workers across the state to fill-out ballots for elderly voters.
The lead investigator in that case, Lt. Michael Luell, also spoke to lawmakers on Wednesday. He told the committee that someone needs to be held accountable for breaking the state’s election laws.
“This matter is not a political matter, this is a criminal investigation,” Luell said. “We are not looking to overturn any elections, what we are trying to do is hold the government accountable.”
Gableman said he is picking up the Racine County investigation because no one else will.
“Whoever Tony Evers and Josh Kaul are serving in this matter, it is certainly not the public,” Gableman said.
Democratic lawmakers have accused Gableman of playing politics and trying to damage faith in the state’s electoral process.
“I think you, quite frankly, are one of the people that are undermining voting credibility in our elections and doing damage to our democracy,” Rep. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, said.
Gableman said that accusation is “ridiculous.”
“If you’re so confident, representative, that this election was a model of integrity, you are in the minority in this country,” Gableman added.
Gableman has been looking into the role of outside money in the election operations in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Racine and Kenosha.
Gableman told lawmakers that he’s not getting a lot of cooperation in the case.
Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, tasked Gableman with looking into the 2020 vote to see if anything went wrong, and what lawmakers can do to fix any issues.
Gableman had hoped to complete his investigation by the end of last month. Speaker Vos last month said the investigation may last until the end of the year. Gableman on Wednesday would not say how long he thinks it will take to wrap up his review.
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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Mike Gableman” by WI Office of Special Counsel.
