REPUBLICAN ELECTION
INVESTIGATIONS IN WISCONSIN.
THIS WEEK, STATE GOP LAWMAKERS
APPROVED AUTHORIZING FORMER
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE MICHAEL
GABLEMEN TO SPEND AT LEAST
$680,000 OF TAXPAYER MONEY
INVESTIGATING THE 2020 ELECTION.
THIS, OF COURSE, IS MET WITH
DERISION ON THE PART OF
DEMOCRATS, INCLUDING THE
GOVERNOR.
THIS LATEST PUSH IS ONE OF
SEVERAL INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE
ELECTION IN THIS STATE.
WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO CAPITOL
REPORTER, LAUREL WHITE, JOINS US
FROM THE CAPITOL TO BREAK THIS
DOWN.
LAUREL, VERY NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO THIS INVESTIGATION,
EMPLOYING FORMER JUSTICE
GABELMAN IS BACKED BY SPEAKER
VOS.
DOES IT THEN TAKE THE FRONT SEAT
OVER THE OTHERS?
>> WELL, I THINK IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IT DOES
HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE SPEAKER,
IT WAS CALLED FOR BY THE
SPEAKER, AND THAT REALLY DOES
ELEVATE IT IN TERMS OF KIND OF
ATTENTION IT'S GOING TO GET, HOW
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT
IT, NOW IS IT GOING TO BE GIVEN
MORE WEIGHT IN THE END THAN
OTHER ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS
LIKE SAY THE ONGOING AUDIT
BUREAU INVESTIGATION THAT'S ALSO
ONGOING?
I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO
SEE AS THEE TWO THINGS KIND OF
PLAY OUTSIDE BY SIDE AND RESULTS
COME OUT EVENTUALLY IN THE
TIMING OF THAT WHICH COMES
FIRST, WHAT'S FOLLOWING UP, JUST
WHAT IT ALL ENDS UP LOOKING LIKE
IN THE END.
>> SO OTHER THAN THE AUDIT
BUREAU AND THIS GABELMAN
INVESTIGATION, THERE ARE OTHERS
AS WELL, IS THAT RIGHT?
>> SO THERE ARE SOME PENDING
INVESTIGATIONS.
THERE'S AN EFFORT THAT STATE
REPRESENTATIVE JANEL BRANCHIO IS
TRYING TO SPEARHEAD.
SHE SENT SOME SUBPOENAS TO
MILWAUKEE AND BROWN COUNTIES,
TRYING TO GET SOME ELECTION
INFORMATION FROM THOSE COUNTIES
TO KIND OF DO HER OWN
INVESTIGATION.
SHE'S THE CHAIR OF THE STATE
ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS COMMITTEE.
SO WE HAVE THAT, WE ALSO HAVE
AND INQUIRY LED BY SOME PRIVATE
CITIZENS, SO SEVERAL KIND OF
ONGOING OR PENDING EFFORTS
HAPPENING ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
>> SO FOR HIS PART, WHAT IS
ROBIN VOS TRYING TO SHOW FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS
SUPPORTERS?
>> WELL, HE'S TRYING TO SHOW THE
PRESIDENT THAT HE'S TAKING
CLAIMS OF ELECTION FRAUD OR
WRONGDOING SERIOUSLY.
YOU KNOW, THE SPEAKER HAS REALLY
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS
TAKEN STRONG CRITICISM FROM THE
FORMER PRESIDENT, FROM MANY
OTHER PEOPLE FROM HIS PARTY TO
SAY HE HASN'T DONE ENOUGH TO
LOOK INTO THE 2020 ELECTION IN
WISCONSIN, AND THAT'S DESPITE
REQUIRED STATE AUDITS THAT HAVE
TAKEN PLACE, THE PARTIAL
PRESIDENTIAL RECOUNT THAT WE HAD
IN DANE AND MILWAUKEE COUNTIES.
OBVIOUSLY SEVERAL
REPUBLICAN-BACKED LAWSUITS THAT
FAILED TO TURN UP ANY WIDESPREAD
VOTER FRAUD IN WISCONSIN.
SO DESPITE ALL OF THAT, THERE
REALLY IS A CONTINUED PUSH,
ESPECIALLY FROM THE FORMER
PRESIDENT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE
HAVEN'T LOOKED INTO IT ENOUGH.
WISCONSIN HASN'T LOOKED INTO
VOTER FRAUD OR WRONGDOING
ENOUGH, AND SPEAKER VOS IS
SAYING I'M GOING TO DO THAT.
>> MEANWHILE, WE KNOW FORMER
JUSTICE GABELMAN TRAVELED TO
ARIZONA TO CHECK IN ON THE
INVESTIGATION AND TO AN EVENT
WITH THE MYPILLOW CEO.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT
WHERE GABLEMAN WANTS TO TAKE THE
WISCONSIN INVESTIGATION?
>> SO I HAVEN'T SPOKEN WITH
FORMER JUSTICE GABLEMAN AT ALL
ABOUT HIS PARTICULAR INTENTIONS
FOR HIS INVESTIGATION.
BUT WE DID GET SOME NEW
INFORMATION THIS WEEK THAT IS
PRETTY INTERESTING.
IT'S THE BUDGET FOR THE
INVESTIGATION, WHICH OBVIOUSLY
TELLS US A LOT, AND WHAT WE
FOUND OUT THERE IS THAT A VERY
SIZABLE PORTION OF THE BUDGET,
THE ENTIRE BUDGET IS ABOUT --
JUST SHY OF $700,000, IS GOING
TO BE SPENT ON DATA ANALYSIS, SO
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE
A FIRM THAT'S HIRED TO LOOK AT
DATA.
WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT
MEANS, BUT I THINK IT'S KIND OF
SAFE TO SAY THAT MEANS, YOU
KNOW, BALLOTS, VOTING MACHINES,
DATA FROM VOTING MACHINES.
>> SO WITH ALL OF THE DISCUSSION
AROUND SUBPOENAS, WHICH YOU
MENTIONED EARLIER, BEING ISSUED
TO ELECTION OFFICIALS FOR ACCESS
TO BALLOTS AND VOTING MACHINES,
THEY HAVE TO BE SIGNED OFF ON BY
VOS, BUT WHAT IS THE STATUS ON
THESE SUBPOENAS RIGHT NOW?
>> SO IT'S A VERY, VERY GOOD
POINT THAT YOU MENTION THAT
SPEAKER VOS HAS TO SIGN THESE
SUBPOENAS THAT WERE ISSUED BY
REPRESENTATIVE BRANCHION FOR
THEM TO BE VALID.
THE SPEAKER HAS NOT SIGNED THE
SUBPOENAS, SO WE'RE KIND OF
GOING TO SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT
IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, MILWAUKEE
COUNTY AND BROWN COUNTY, WHETHER
THEY REJECT OR ACCEPT THE CALLS
TO RELEASE THIS INFORMATION.
WE DO EXPECT MILWAUKEE COUNTY TO
REJECT THE SUBPOENA REQUEST AND
TO NOT RELEASE THAT INFORMATION.
>> MEANWHILE, WHAT ARE DEMOCRATS
SAYING ABOUT ALL OF THESE
EFFORTS?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THEY REALLY
REITERATE THAT WE'VE HAD A LOT
OF INVESTIGATIONS INTO WISCONSIN
ELECTIONS SO FAR.
THEY MENTIONED THOSE THINGS THAT
I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE STATE
AUDITS THAT HAVE ALREADY TAKEN
PLACE, THE PARTIAL PRESIDENTIAL
RECOUNT, ALL OF THE LAWSUITS
THAT WE SAW AFTER THE ELECTION,
NONE OF WHICH HAVE TURNED UP
WIDESPREAD VOTER FRAUD.
THEY SAY THAT, YOU KNOW,
CONTINUING TO INVESTIGATE,
CONTINUING TO LAUNCH NEW
INVESTIGATIONS SENDS A MESSAGE
THAT THERE'S SOMETHING TO FIND.
AND IN THEIR OPINION, THERE JUST
ISN'T ANYTHING TO FIND.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE.
THANKS FOR YOUR COVERAGE OF IT.