? >> ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS
SAYS WE SHOULD STOP OBSESSING ABOUT MEAGAN WOLFE.
THAT'S EVEN AS FELLOW REPUBLICANS IN THE LEGISLATURE
CONTINUE TO RAMP UP CALLS TO IMPEACH HER.
THE ELECTIONS COMMISSION CHAIR, REPUBLICAN DON MILLIS, IS
CALLING ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HER A PACK OF LIES AND HE'S ANGRY
THAT THEY ARE MAKING MONEY OFF THOSE LIES.
DON MILLIS JOINS US. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> MY PLEASURE. >> LET'S HEAR A FEW SECONDS OF
THAT AD. IT'S FROM AN ELECTION DENIER WHO
RAN AGAINST ROBIN VOS. >> I AM VERY WORRIED ABOUT THE
FAIRNESS AND SECURITY OF OUR ELECTIONS IF MEAGAN WOLFE
REMAINS IN CHARGE OF THEM. >> SO THE AD HIGHLIGHTS WHAT IT
SAYS WAS HER APPROVAL OF ILLEGAL DROP BOXES, BALLOT HARVESTING
AND SO CALLED ZUCKER-BUCKS. MR. MILLIS, WHY DO YOU CALL
THESE ALLEGATIONS OUT AS DEMONSTRABLY FALSE?
>> WELL, WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST TWO ITEMS, IT WASN'T HER
CHOICE. THE ELECTION COMMISSION,
UNANIMOUS BIPARTISAN VOTE, APPROVED THE UNSTAFFED DROP
BOXES AND ALSO TO THE EXTENT THAT BALLOT HARVESTING WAS
PERMITTED, IT WAS PART OF THE SAME THING.
ADMINISTRATOR WOLFE WAS JUST CARRYING OUT THOSE PLANS.
WITH RESPECT TO THE SO CALLED ZUCKER-BUCKS, THERE'S NOTHING
THAT STATE GOVERNMENT COULD DO BECAUSE THE COURTS HAVE SINCE
DETERMINED THAT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ACCEPTING THOSE
FUNDS WERE PERFECTLY LEGAL. THERE WAS A LAWSUIT.
THE COMMISSION PART OF MY -- BEING ON THE COMMISSION VOTED TO
DISMISS THAT COMPLAINT AND THAT WAS CONFIRMED.
WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE THE LEGISLATURE IS NOW TRYING TO
AMEND THE CONSTITUTION TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF SUCH PRIVATE
FUNDS, AND I THINK THERE'S SOME MERIT TO THAT, BUT BLAMING
ADMINISTRATOR WOLFE MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE IT WASN'T HER
CALL. >> SO WHEN YOU FIRST SAW THIS
AD, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION? >> WELL, I WAS SURPRISED.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT AID JOURNALIST, I DO HAVE A
JOURNALISM DEGREE, BUT WHEN I WAS IN JOURNALISM SCHOOL A LONG
TIME AGO, NEWSPAPERS LIKE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL, IT WAS CALLED
THE JOURNAL THEN, WERE PARAGONS OF VIRTUE.
THEY NEVER WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED ADS LIKE THIS.
WE'VE SINCE SEEN THAT THE MEDIA, WHEN WE HAVE ELECTION DENIERS
AND WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS MADE STATEMENTS THAT THE MEDIA
BELIEVES ARE LIES, THEY WILL RUN CHIRONS UNDER HIS SPEECHES, AND
SO IT SEEMS TO BE VERY HYPOCRITICAL THAT THE MEDIA
WOULD ACCEPT MONEY AND IT'S CERTAINLY IN THE CASE OF JOURNAL
SENTINEL, RUN ADS THAT THEY KNOW ARE FALSE BECAUSE A MONTH BEFORE
THEY RAN THE AD, THEY HAD AN ARTICLE THAT POINTED OUT THAT
THE ALLEGATIONS CONTAINED IN THAT AD WERE FALSE.
>> HMM. SO MEANWHILE, THE SAGA OF TRYING
TO IMPEACH MEAGAN WOLFE ROLLS ON AND RAMPS UP.
DO YOU WANT HER TO LEAVE HER POST?>> I THINK AT THIS POI
NT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING ON THE EVE
OF A VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY CONTESTED ELECTION.
I THINK THAT SPEAKER VOS HAS IT RIGHT THAT THIS IS NOT THE TIME
TO BE DEBATING THESE ISSUES. WE HAVE SO MANY MORE IMPORTANT
ISSUES. THE THING THAT'S FRUSTRATING TO
ME IS TUESDAY, THE ASSEMBLY HAD A VERY GOOD DAY.
THEY VOTED ON A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WOULD APPEAL TO THE BASE,
THAT WOULD APPEAL TO THE INDEPENDENTS, AND THE HEADLINES
WERE ABOUT IMPEACHING MEAGAN WOLFE, WHEN THERE'S NO CLANS
THAT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THERE ARE
ENOUGH VOTES IN EITHER HOUSE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT.
AND SO IT SEEMS TO ME IT'S A FOOL'S ERRAND TO GO DOWN THAT
ROAD BECAUSE THERE ARE SIMPLY NOT THE VOTES TO DO THAT, IN MY
OPINION. >> WOULD YOU REPLA CE HER IF IT
WERE NOT A FOOL'S ERRAND? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE
HAVE TO THINK ABOUT -- POLITICS, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE FOUR VOTES
ON THE COMMISSION TO KEEP HER, AND SO THE ONLY THING THAT THE
COMMISSION COULD DO RIGHT NOW, BASED ON THE COURT DECISIONS, IS
THAT THE COMMISSION COULD VOTE TO REMOVE HER.
THERE ARE NOT FOUR VOTES TO DO THAT.
IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO DO THAT.
IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO CHANGE AN ADMINISTRATOR AND GO
SEARCHING FOR A NEW ADMINISTRATOR WHEN, IN 362 DAYS
OR 361 DAYS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN ELECTION THAT'S GOING TO BE
PRETTY HOTLY CONTESTED IN WISCONSIN.>> IF THAT VOTE WE
RE TO COME TO PASS ON THE COMMISSION, WOULD
YOU VOTE? WOULD YOU VOTE TO REPLACE HER?
>> I WOULDN'T VOTE TO REPLACE HER RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I DON'T
THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO DO SO. >> BUT YOU MIGHT IN THE FUTURE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH ADMINISTRATOR
WOLFE ABOUT A VARIETY OF THINGS. I THINK SHE'S GENERALLY DOING A
GOOD JOB. I THINK THE THINGS THAT SHE HAS
DONE ARE THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID ABOUT HER ARE TOTALLY
FALSE, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO PREDICT HOW THINGS GO IN THE
FUTURE.A LOT OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH
PERSONAL DECISIONS THAT SHE HAS TO MAKE AND THE FUTURE OF THE
STAFF AND HOW DO WE BUILD IN A SUCCESSOR.I THINK IT IS IMPO
RTANT THAT IN ANY AGENCY, LIKE THIS THAT YOU
HAVE A PLAN FOR SUCCESSION. I'VE HAD SOME PRIVATE
CONVERSATIONS WITH HER ABOUT THAT.
I'M NOT GOING TO DIVULGE THOSE, BUT RIGHT NOW, IT MAKES NO SENSE
TO TALK ABOUT REPLACING HER. >> VERY BRIEFLY, HOW DO YOU FEEL
ABOUT DONALD TRUMP REPORTEDLY PRESSURING ROBIN VOS TO IMPEACH
MEAGAN WOLFE? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I
THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE MISLED. IF YOU REALLY THINK THAT MEAGAN
WOLFE WAS THE REASON WHY DONALD TRUMP LOST WISCONSIN, THEN
THAT'S JUST -- THAT'S JUST -- IT'S JUST FALSE.
THAT'S NOT THE REASON WHY HE DIDN'T PREVAIL HERE.
IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HER. AND SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT.
I THINK MY GUESS IS THAT HE'S TRYING TO APPEAL TO A BASE SO
THAT HE CAN CONTINUE TO BE IN THE NEWS.