FRAUD, A STATE PANEL WILL
INVESTIGATE ELECTION PROCEDURES
AND WILL GIVE LAWMAKERS SUBPOENA
POWERS OVER RECORDS AND
INDIVIDUALS.
THIS AS A RESULT OF REPUBLICANS
IN THE STATE ASSEMBLY PASSING A
RESOLUTION TO DIRECT A COMMITTEE
TO GET THE INVESTIGATION
UNDERWAY.
IT CLAIMS WISCONSIN ELECTION
OFFICIALS FAILED TO ADHERE TO
AND ENCOURAGED NONCOMPLIANCE
WITH ELECTIONS LAWS.
THE COMMITTEE IS INSTRUCTED TO
FOCUS ONLY ON ELECTIONS AFTER
JANUARY 1, 2019.
REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE JOE
SANFELIPPO IS THE VICE-CHAIR THE
COMMITTEE ON CAMPAIGNS AND
ELECTIONS.
I SPOKE WITH HIM EARLIER.
>> REPRESENTATIVE SAN PHILLIP
POE, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
JOINING US ON THIS.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS DO
YOU YET ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JOE
BIDEN WON THE ELECTION?
>> OH, YEAH.
I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S, YOU
KNOW, IN QUESTION.
AND EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING
REALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
PER SE.
IT HAS TO DO MORE WITH THE LOOK
AT HOW OUR ELECTIONS ARE
ADMINISTERED THROUGHOUT THE
STATE.
>> SO YOU WANT TO GATHER MORE
EVIDENCE TO SEE IF ELECTION LAWS
WERE BROKEN, BUT WASN'T THAT
KIND OF ASKED AND ANSWERED
SEVERAL TIMES IN COURTS OF LAW
IN WISCONSIN AND ACROSS THE
NATION WHEN BOTH THE TRUMP COM
PAIN AND HIS ALLIES SUED OVER
THESE ISSUES AND LOST?
>> WELL, I THINK THERE'S A
COUPLE DIFFERENT THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL, A LOT OF THOSE
COURT CASES NEVER EVEN GOT TO
THE POINT WHERE EVIDENCE WAS
PRESENTED AND SO THEY WERE JUST
DISMISSED BEFORE THEY GOT TO THE
EVIDENTIARY PROCESS.
THE OTHER THING IS THAT THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN WAS FOCUSING
SOLELY ON HIS CAMPAIGN AND HIS
RESULTS.
AND I THINK THAT WHAT WE WANT TO
LOOK AT HERE, BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN
EVIDENCE AND WE HEARD STORIES
FROM VARIOUS AREAS AROUND THE
STATE THAT JUST ARE POINTING TO
THE FACT THAT OUR ELECTION LAWS
THAT ARE ALREADY ON THE BOOKS
MAY NOT BE BEING FOLLOWED.
AND THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY
MEAN THEY'RE NOT BEING FOLLOWED
FOR NEFARIOUS REASONS.
COULD BE THERE'S A LACK OF
PROPER TRAINING OR SOMEBODY JUST
DIDN'T TAKE THE TIME TO DO
SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE
SUPPOSED TO DO.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO
PROVIDE EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER
THE LAW.
AND THE WAY TO DO THAT FOR
ELECTIONS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT
IN ALL OF OUR JURISDICTIONS,
WHICH WE HAVE OVER 1800 OF THEM
IN THE STATE, WE WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT THE ELECTION LAWS ON
THE BOOKS ARE BEING EVENLY
ADHERED TO THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE
STATE AND THAT'S WHAT OUR FOCUS
IS ON.
>> SO TELL ME, WHAT KINDS OF
ELECTIONS LAWS ARE YOU GOING TO
BE FOCUSING ON?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, LAST WEEK OR
A COUPLE WEEKS AGO WE HAD A
HEARING AND WE LOOKED AT THINGS
IN PARTICULAR IN GREEN BAY THAT
TOOK PLACE AND THROUGH A SERIES
OF LOOKING AT EMAILS AND THINGS
THAT WERE PRESENTED TO THE
COMMITTEE AS EVIDENCE, I MEAN,
IT WAS CLEAR THAT WE HAD THIRD
PARTIES FROM OUTSIDE OF THE
ELECTION PROCESS IN CHARGE
RUNNING -- YOU KNOW, CALLING THE
SHOTS, RUNNING AT LEAST ONE
CENTRAL COUNT LOCATION.
THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE
AGAINST THE LAW THAT SHOULD NOT
BE BEING DONE.
WE KNOW THAT IN SOME AREAS
AROUND THE STATE WE HAD CLERKS
THAT WERE CURING BALLOTS ON
THEIR OWN, WHICH IS CONTRARY TO
LAW.
AND SO I THINK WE HAVE TO TAKE A
LOOK AT WHY THOSE PRACTICES NEED
TO BE DONE AND MAYBE WE NEED TO
-- IF WE HAVE TO UPDATE THE LAWS
TO ALLOW FOR SOME OF THESE
THINGS, WE SHOULD.
BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
ONLY THE LEGISLATURE CAN MAKE
ELECTION LAW AND WE SHOULDN'T
ALLOW CLERKS ON THEIR OWN TO BE
DECIDING WHAT LAWS THEY'RE GOING
TO FOLLOW, WHAT LAWS THEY'RE NOT
GOING TO FOLLOW, BECAUSE THAT'S
WHEN YOU GET INTO THIS
UNIFORMITY ISSUE.
>> WELL, I KNOW THAT IN COVERING
ALL OF THESE MATTERS THAT THE
STATE ELECTIONS COMMISSION WAS
GIVING GUIDANCE TO CLERKS AND
THAT THINGS LIKE CURING BALLOTS
WAS SOMETHING THAT CLERKS DO DO
AND IN GREEN BAY I KNOW THAT
OFFICIALS ARE SAYING WHAT YOU
PRESENTED AT THAT HEARING, IT
JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN.
>> WELL, I KNOW THAT'S WHAT THE
GREEN BAY TALK HAS BEEN,
ESPECIALLY FROM THE MAYOR.
BUT THE EMAILS TELL A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT STORY.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE IS ONE OF
THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO IS NOT
ASSOCIATED WITH THE CITY FROM A
THIRD-PARTY GROUP OUT OF STATE
AND THERE'S AN EMAIL THAT SAYS
HE AND ONLY HE SHOULD HAVE
ACCESS, THE KEYS AND ACCESS TO
THE CENTRAL COUNT LOCATION.
NOW, THAT IS STRICTLY AGAINST
THE LAW.
WHEN HE WAS ASKED WHAT HIS ROLE
WAS IN THE ELECTION, IF HE WAS
AN EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF GREEN
BAY OR A CONTRACTOR, HE JUST
SAID, NO, HE WAS AN ELECTION
OBSERVER.
WELL, ELECTION OBSERVERS AREN'T
GIVEN KEYS TO THE CENTRAL COUNT
LOCATIONS WITH ACCESS TO THE
TABULATING MACHINES.
IT'S THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE
NEED TO DIG INTO FURTHER.
>> JUST REALLY BRIEFLY, YOUR
ELECTIONS COMMITTEE WAS GIVEN
THE AUTHORITY TO SUBPOENA PEOPLE
TO COME AND TESTIFY BEFORE YOU.
WHO DO YOU WANT TO SUBPOENA?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I'M ACTUALLY
HOPING THAT WE WON'T EVEN HAVE
TO GET THAT FAR WITH SUBPOENAS,
RIGHT?
BECAUSE OUR ELECTIONS -- WE HAVE
A HISTORY IN WISCONSIN OF HAVING
VERY OPEN AND TRANSPARENT
ELECTIONS AND I CAN'T IMAGINE
WHY ANY ELECTION OFFICIAL WOULD
NOT WANT TO COME AND SPEAK
OPENLY ABOUT HOW ELECTIONS ARE
ADMINISTERED IN THEIR
JURISDICTION.
NOW, THAT IS CORRECT SAID, WE
MAY HAVE TO RELY, BECAUSE THERE
ARE THESE THIRD PARTIES INVOLVED
THAT ARE NOT STATE EMPLOYEES OR
CITY OR LOCAL, COUNTY EMPLOYEES,
WE MAY HAVE TO SUBPOENA
DOCUMENTS, WE MAY HAVE TO
SUBPOENA PEOPLE TO GET THEM TO
COME IN AND TESTIFY.
AND SO WE'RE JUST KIND OF
SETTING THE PLATFORM IN PLACE IN
CASE WE NEED TO DO THAT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE, BUT
WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
TIME.
WE'LL SHALL WATCHING ALL OF
THIS.
>> YOU GOT IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY.
IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS
GOING FORWARD, PLEASE JUST REACH
OUT.
>> REPRESENTATIVE SAN PHILLIP