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Nevilledog

(51,094 posts) Wed Jun 15, 2022, 07:41 PM Jun 2022

The Leader of Trump's Favorite 2020 Election "Audit" May Be Disbarred After Courtroom Meltdown

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/06/trump-wisconsin-election-audit-michael-gableman-contempt.html

On Wednesday, Republicans’ fake investigation into Wisconsin’s 2020 election fell apart in the most spectacular manner possible. This implosion took the form of a stunning 25-page ruling that marks the end of this particular road for the state’s election deniers. After undergoing a full-on meltdown in open court, the man in charge of the partisan probe—former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman—is now at risk of losing his law license. His office faces fines of $2,000 a day. And the records surrounding his conspiracy-fueled 2020 election “investigation” that he has fought so hard to conceal from the public will soon see the light of day.

It is difficult to imagine a more humiliating conclusion to this sad chapter in Wisconsin history for those in the state pushing Trump’s Big Lie. The lawyers who were supposed to find evidence of fraud have destroyed their professional careers. The GOP politicians who supported this bogus audit are in contempt of court. And no one has produced an iota of evidence to suggest that Democrats stole the election. While attempting to discredit Joe Biden’s victory, Wisconsin Republicans have only bolstered its legitimacy.

The Gableman probe began when Robin Vos, Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, created and funded an Office of Special Counsel to undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 results. He appointed Gableman to lead the effort, which immediately collapsed into a bizarre smear campaign against the state’s election officials. (Shortly after the election, Gableman falsely claimed that “elected leaders” let these officials “steal our vote.” He never presented any evidence for his claims.) The ex-justice issued sweeping, error-ridden subpoenas demanding mountains of documents, then threatened to arrest his targets. His fishing expedition sought to intimidate civil servants into turning over so much information that he could craft a nonsensical narrative of fraud that might convince unsophisticated, aggrieved, and brainwashed observers. (Early on, this tactic worked.) And he intended to withhold the basis for his claims from the public.

Wisconsin, however, has a robust public records law, and the liberal watchdog American Oversight sought records from the probe that would illustrate its deceptive nature. Gableman refused to turn over key documents, which led to extensive battles in Wisconsin state courts. In short, the courts ordered Gableman, Vos, and their allies to turn over the relevant records, which they declined to do. Vos was held in contempt of court due to his “abject disregard” of a court order. Gableman, uncowed, went on deleting documents sought by American Oversight, and the organization requested that his office be held in contempt as well. On Friday, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Frank Remington sided with American Oversight from the bench, but did not issue a written decision until Wednesday.

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