VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> LAST AUGUST, REPUBLICAN
ASSEMBLY SPEAKER FIRED MICHAEL
GABLEMAN, A FORMER SUPREME COURT
JUSTICE, FROM HIS JOB AS SPECIAL
COUNSEL I INVESTIGATING OF THE
2020 ELECTION.
HIS WORK HAS RISEN TO NEARLY
$2.5 MILLION INCLUDING COURT
COSTS ARISING FROM LAWSUITS OVER
PUBLIC RECORDS FROM THE PROBE
AND NOW ATTORNEYS AT LAW FORWARD
HAVE FILED A 108-PAGE COMPLAINT
WITH THE OFFICE OF LAWYER
REGULATIONS SAYING GABLEMAN
VIOLATED SUPREME COURT RULES OF
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT DURING HIS
ELECTION INVESTIGATION.
ATTORNEY JEFF MANDEL FILED THE
COMPLAINT.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO MICHAEL GABLEMAN WAS
FIRED, AS WE JUST SAID, AND
CALLED AN EMBARRASSMENT BY
SPEAKER ROBIN VOS.
ISN'T THAT ENOUGH?
WHY FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST HIM
NOW?
>> WELL, THE GOAL HERE IS NOT TO
PILE ON.
THE GOAL IS NOT TO EMBARRASS MR.
BUT IF WE HAVE A RULE OF LAW, IF
WE HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE EVERYONE
PLAYS BY THE SAME RULES, THOSE
RULES NEED TO BE ENFORCED.
THE COMPLAINT IS AS LONG AS IT
IS BECAUSE MR. GABLEMAN BROKE SO
MANY RULES OF ETHICAL CONDUCT.
IT WAS QUITE A TASK TO CATALOG
THEM ALL.
>> SO YOU -- YOUR COMPLAINT
ALLEGES IN DETAIL HOW GABLEMAN
VIOLATED PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
FOR AN ATTORNEY, STARTING WITH
HIS COMPETENCY.
HE'S CERTAINLY HELD HIGH OFFICE
AS A FORMER JUSTICE AND D.A.
WHY DO YOU SAY HE WAS
INCOMPETENT HERE?
>> WELL, FOR A COUPLE OF
REASONS.
FIRST, AN ATTORNEY CAN BE HIGHLY
COMPETENT AT ONE THING AND NOT
COMPETENT AT SOME OTHER AREA OF
THE LAW, AND THE ETHICAL RULES
REQUIRE ATTORNEYS TO BE MINDFUL
AND SELF-CONSCIOUS OF THIS AND
TO ACCEPT THOSE REPRESENTATIONS
THAT THEY ARE PREPARED TO CARRY
OUT.
MR. GABLEMAN, AFTER ACCEPTING
HIS CHARGE AS SPECIAL COUNSEL,
PUBLICLY STATED THAT HE KNEW
ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT ELECTION
LAW.
SO THAT IN ITSELF IS SAY
COMPETENCE ISSUE.
NOW, AN ATTORNEY MAY TAKE ON
SOMETHING WHERE THEY NEED TO
LEARN SOMETHING NEW.
WE'RE ALL CAPABLE OF LEARNING
NEW THINGS, BUT MR. GABLEMAN
THEN DID NOT UNDERTAKE THE KINDS
OF STEPS THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT
TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW.
YOU DON'T GET TO CHARGE THE
TAXPAYERS OR THE STATE OR YOUR
CLIENT FOR LEARNING THESE NEW
THINGS AND YOU HAVE TO BE
PREPARED TO DO IT.
MR. GABLEMAN SPENT THE FIRST
SEVERAL WEEKS OF HIS JOB TRYING
TO LEARN THESE THINGS AT A
PUBLIC COMPUTER TERMINAL, AT THE
NEW BERLIN PUBLIC LIBRARY.
EVEN AS HE TOLD THE PUBLIC THAT
HIS INVESTIGATION WAS GOING TO
BE HIGHLY SECURE AND SECRETIVE
AND HE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT
NO ONE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING.
HE WAS DOING THIS ALL AT A
PUBLIC COMPUTER TERMINAL AND HE
WAS NOT LEARNING ELECTION LAW IN
THE WAY YOU WOULD EXPECT A
DILIGENT ATTORNEY TO DO BUT
INSTEAD WAS CONSULTING WITH
CONSPIRACY THEORISTS AND FRINGE
ACTORS TO BRING HIMSELF UP TO
DATE ON THE LATEST CRAZY
THEORIES.
>> YOU ALSO SAY THAT HE CAUSED
MALICIOUS INJURY TO THOSE LIKE
THE MAYORS THAT HE SUBPOENAED AS
PART OF HIS INVESTIGATION.
HOW SO?
>> WELL, HE ASKED A JUDGE IN
WAUKESHA COUNTY TO THROW THE
MAYORS OF GREEN BAY AND MADISON
úIN JAIL AND HE DID SO ON
ENTIRELY FALSE PRETENSES, THAT
HE KNEW WERE FALSE, AND HE DID
SO ALSO ASKING THE JUDGE TO DO
IT WITHOUT EVEN HEARING FROM THE
DEFENDANTS OR LETTING THOSE
MAYORS KNOW THAT HE WAS TRYING
TO DO IT.
SO HE MISREPRESENTED THE FACTS
IN THE LAW, TRIED TO HIDE WHAT
HE WAS DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEY WOULDN'T GET THEIR DAY IN
COURT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.
IT WAS ENTIRELY MALICIOUS, AND
WHEN WE POINTED THOSE FAULTS
OUT, AT NO POINT DID
MR. GABLEMAN OR ANY OF THE
ATTORNEYS WORKING WITH HIM
ATTEMPT TO FIX THAT OR CORRECT
THE RECORD.
THEY WERE DELIBERATELY LYING
ABOUT THESE PUBLIC OFFICIALS.
>> HAVE ATTORNEYS INVOLVED IN
TRYING TO UNDO THE RESULTS OF
THE 2020 ELECTION FACED
PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT
DISCIPLINE IN THIS WAY?
>> QUITE A FEW HAVE.
MAYOR GIULIANI HAS BEEN
SANCTIONED AND A LAWYER HERE IN
WISCONSIN, ERIC CARDOLL, WHO WAS
TIED INTO MR. GABLEMAN'S
INVESTIGATION, THOUGH HE WAS NOT
OFFICIALLY WORKING FOR THE
STATE.
MR. GABLEMAN WAS SHARING
INFORMATION AND SHARING OFFICE
SPACE WITH HIM IN WAYS THAT ARE
THEMSELVES ETHICALLY
PROBLEMATIC.
HEBREHE HAS BEEN REFERRED IN
WASHINGTON, D.C. BECAUSE A CASE
HE FILED HAS BEEN SO BASELESS.
>> WHY, IN YOUR MIND, IS IT
IMPORTANT TO FILE THESE KINDS OF
THINGS?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE
COURTS AND WE USE OUR LAWS TO
RESOLVE SERIOUS DISPUTES, AND
THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING, BUT
WHEN PEOPLE BREAK THE BASIC
RULES AND THEY BRING CASES THAT
ARE FRIVOLOUS AND THAT THEY KNOW
ARE FRIVOLOUS WHEN THEY'RE
SEEKING TO ADVANCE A PURELY
POLITICAL AGENDA THAT HAS NO
BASIS IN LAW, WE HAVE TO UPHOLD
THE RULES AND MAKE SURE THAT
THEY CAN'T DO IT.
OTHERWISE, WE WILL DEVOLVE INTO
CHAOS.
>> WHAT OUTCOME WOULD YOU LIKE
TO SEE FOR MICHAEL GABLEMAN
HERE?
>> I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE
OFFICE OF LAWYER REGULATION TAKE
A REALLY CAREFUL AND THOROUGH
LOOK AT THIS.
IT IS REALLY NOT FOR US TO SAY
WHAT THE ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT
SHOULD BE.
THAT'S FOR THE SUPREME COURT OF
WISCONSIN TO DECIDE.
THEY'RE THE ONES WHO PATROL THE
BAR AT THE END OF THE DAY.
THEY'RE THE COPS ON THE BEAT FOR
THIS.
BUT MY HOPE IS THAT THE OFFICE
OF LAWYER REGULATION WILL
THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATE THIS AND
GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS AND
TREAT MR. GABLEMAN THE SAME WAY
THEY WOULD TREAT ANY OTHER
LAWYER IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN.
>> AND SO IT DOESN'T CONSTITUTE
ANY KIND OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
GIVING THAT HE WAS A SUPREME
COURT JUSTICE GIVEN IT IS AN ARM
OF THE SUPREME COURT?
>> REST OF THE SUPREME COURT DID
DEAL WITH.
IT'S COMPLICATED AND MAYBE
UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT IT'S PART OF
THEIR JOB.
>> JEFFREY MANDEL, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> 9:00 GABLEMAN IS NOW SENIOR
COUNSEL AT THE THOMAS MOORE
SOCIETY, A CONSERVATIVE PUBLIC
INTEREST LAW FIRM BASED IN
CHICAGO.
FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT