Madison, Wisconsin (AP) —Thursday judge ordered Wisconsin investigators to stop deleting records considering the 2020 elections. The contract is nearing the end..
Michael Gableman President Joe Biden has released two interim reports on the winning elections, suggesting that the Republican-controlled state legislature investigate a legally impossible move to revoke his victorious recognition. Republican leaders, including Speaker of Parliament Robin Vos, who hired Gableman, There is no intention to revoke the victory certification.
Gableman’s report Evidence not included To support the false claim that Donald Trump beat Wisconsin in 2020.
Biden’s nearly 21,000 votes over Trump have endured recounts, independent audits and reviews, and numerous proceedings. Still, Vos ordered a review by Gableman last summer under pressure from Trump and others who falsely claimed the election was stolen.
Gableman’s work has been involved in several proceedings, including three proceedings filed by the liberal surveillance group American Oversight. It has submitted a number of open record requests, primarily from Vos and Gableman. Vos has been Discovered for insult In one case, it failed to turn the record.
Frank Remington, Circuit Judge of Dane County, issued another proceeding on Thursday instructing Gableman to “respond or not delete or destroy records that may or may not respond” to the group’s open record request. Did.
Remington issued an order after Gableman’s lawyer told American Oversight that he would “regularly remove documents and text messages that were not useful for the investigation.”
Independent legislative council, a lawyer advising Congress, said in October that it was a violation of Wisconsin law to delete such records, even by state contractors like Gableman.
Gableman’s lawyer, James Bopp, claimed in a court motion that the record-keeping law was not relevant to contractors. Bopp didn’t immediately return a message asking for comment on Thursday.
Bopp said in a letter to American Oversight on April 8 that all corresponding records would be submitted and that all materials would be made public once the investigation was completed. According to Bopp, Gableman’s office regularly evaluates documents such as text messages and emails to determine if their records are useful for ongoing investigations. Bopp said that those found to be relevant will be retained and others will be removed.
US supervisory adviser Melanie Sloan blamed Gableman’s office for deleting records.
“If this investigation had gone beyond the board of directors, the Special Advisory Board would have maintained and published a record of the work required by law,” Sloan said. This investigation is merely an attempt to support the conspiracy theory and undermine free and fair elections. “
Gableman’s current contract is valid until the end of April, but a recent interview shows that he doesn’t expect it to be extended.
March Remington A record that released a document of more than 700 pages from Gableman, showing that the judge did not support the conclusions made in Gableman’s latest report, or that no investigation was conducted.