Official in charge of Wisconsin's election review attends conspiracy-fueled symposium hosted by MyPillow's Mike Lindell
This story was republished on Jan. 6, 2022 to make it free for all readers
MADISON - The former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who is conducting a review of the state's presidential election spent recent days at a conspiracy theory-fueled symposium on election fraud headed by MyPillow's chief executive.
Former Justice Michael Gableman took the trip to South Dakota as he ramps up his taxpayer-funded review of an election that the state Supreme Court and other courts have upheld.
Gableman — who claimed the election was stolen at a November rally backing Donald Trump — was joined in Sioux Falls this week by a state lawmaker and a member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
In addition, Gableman last week visited Arizona to see its review of ballots, the former justice told the Associated Press. The Arizona Senate seized ballots and voting machines from Maricopa County as part of an election audit that has drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, hired Gableman this summer. He and his spokeswoman did not say why Gableman was attending the South Dakota event, which is being ridiculed by cybersecurity experts.
Gableman told the AP he was there "out of an honest effort to find out if anyone has any information that will be helpful in carrying out my duties as special counsel."
Gableman, who is being paid $44,000 by taxpayers, declined to answer questions from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"Stop calling me. Stop texting me," he said by text message.
Also attending the event hosted by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell were two other Wisconsin Republicans — state Elections Commissioner Bob Spindell and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun of Campbellsport
Ramthun falsely claimed at the symposium that voting software recently approved by the Wisconsin Elections Commission would "scrub" votes from machines used in the presidential election.
In an interview, Spindell said he was learning about the potential for vote hacking. He said he wants to review more information about how the 2020 election was conducted but added he recognizes Joe Biden is the president.
"One thing I think I've learned is anything can be hacked," he said.
Spindell said Gableman arrived late Tuesday and spent Wednesday at the symposium. He said he didn't have an opportunity to talk to him in depth.
"He was right in the middle trying to absorb everything that was said," Spindell said of Gableman.
Spindell said he is paying his own way to attend the event. Gableman told the AP his travel costs were being paid using the $11,000 a month he receives from taxpayers for his election review.
Lindell in January met with Trump at the White House armed with notes suggesting the then-president should consider imposing martial law, according to a photo by the Washington Post.
Democratic state Rep. Mark Spreitzer of Beloit said Gableman’s attendance at the event shows he can’t be taken seriously. He said the public should discount any report he produces about the election in Wisconsin.
"This Lindell conference is obviously on the fringe even of Republican thought right now. That really further undermines any credibility that Gableman might have had," said Spreitzer, who sits on the Assembly Elections Committee.
Ramthun makes false statements about voting machines
Ramthun wrongly told the symposium he believed Dominion Voting Systems machines and software recently approved for use in Wisconsin would wipe out records of votes from the presidential election.
"If I’m told that Dominion is currently in the process of scrubbing the machines in my state, I’ve got a big problem with that," Ramthun said, according to a clip of his speech posted online by Gateway Pundit, a conservative site that often promotes conspiracy theories.
"And the first thing I want to do is, how do I stop that right now in its tracks? How do I stop that to prevent further damage from occurring so that we can continue the process of a true, full forensic investigation to get the facts out to find closure.”
Ann Jacobs, the Democrat who serves as chairwoman of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said Ramthun’s claim was false and irresponsible.
"Rep. Ramthun has apparently never used a computer," she said. "Software updates don’t wipe out your computer. They add lines of code to existing programs.
"Secondly, the data of elections is not stored in those machines. It is stored on removable devices. That is how we are able to re-use these machines in multiple elections. When we have a February primary and an April election, the data sticks are removed from those devices and stored."
The commission voted 4-2 in June to approve the Dominion upgrades, which clears the way for local officials to buy new machines and software if they want them. Republican Marge Bostelmann joined the three Democrats on the commission in approving the upgrades.
Spindell and Republican Dean Knudson voted against them, with Knudson raising concerns about modems that can be attached to the machines. The modems are not connected to the machines while the polls are open but can be used afterward to transmit unofficial results, according to Dominion.
Dominion has been bombarded with false claims about its machines since last year. In response, the company has sued Lindell, Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell and conservative news networks for defamation for billions of dollars. On Wednesday, a Trump-appointed federal judge ruled the lawsuits could move forward, a major blow to Lindell and the others.
In Wisconsin, Dominion machines are not used in the Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee and Dane counties. They are used in some Republican areas, including Ozaukee and Washington counties.
Ramthun and Republican Rep. Janel Brandtjen of Menomonee Falls, the chairwoman of the Assembly Elections Committee, are pushing for an Arizona-style audit of the election that would involve reviewing ballots and seizing voting machines.
Brandtjen issued subpoenas for those materials from Brown and Milwaukee counties last week, but nonpartisan attorneys for the Legislature have said the subpoenas are invalid because Vos had not signed them.
On Thursday, Trump released a statement backing Brandtjen's efforts and sought to put pressure on Vos to go along with them.
"All eyes are on Wisconsin as they begin their election audit," he said. "Hopefully Republican Speaker Robin Vos has the integrity and strength Wisconsin needs to support Rep. Brandtjen’s efforts."
Following Trump's statement, Vos told the Associated Press that if Gableman determines that subpoenas are necessary, “we will look into making sure those can happen.”
Brandtjen and three other Wisconsin lawmakers this summer visited the Phoenix coliseum where ballots were being reviewed. The review is being conducted by Cyber Ninjas, a computer firm with no experience examining election results.
Republicans in Arizona and across the country have turned against that audit, calling it a sham. The review included an attempt to figure out whether ballots included bamboo fibers to try to confirm a baseless claim that ballots were smuggled into Arizona from Asia.
Taxpayers in Arizona have to buy new voting machines because election officials say they cannot confirm the machines haven't been tampered with during the audit.
Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.