Wisconsin GOP leader meets with election fraud backers

Wisconsin's Republican speaker of the Assembly met privately Wednesday with advocates for decertifying President Joe Biden's win in the battleground state, but only after he kicked a fellow GOP lawmaker and candidate for governor out of the closed-door gathering.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos called the meeting, saying as he walked into the Capitol hearing room that he meets with anyone who asks. But he wouldn't allow state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, a candidate for governor who has introduced resolutions to decertify the election, into the room.

“More obstruction,” Ramthun said as he exited the room. “This is what I have been dealing with now for 17 months.”

Vos said Tuesday that the meeting was a chance for those who believe the 2020 election cannot be decertified to discuss it along with advocates for decertification. One of those in the meeting, Ann Sappenfeild, is the head of the office of nonpartisan attorneys for the Legislature. The office has said it is illegal to decertify the election.

Vos reiterated Tuesday that he did not believe that decertification was possible. But another meeting attendee, Jefferson Davis, said the goal of advocates of the idea was to convince Vos on Wednesday to change his mind.

Several others were in the meeting, which was to be followed by a news conference called by Davis to present evidence of alleged voter fraud. As Vos, Davis and others entered the meeting room, they walked past a woman holding a U.S. flag that had “Vos Stop Voter Fraud” written across the white stripes.

Vos has been under pressure from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans, including Ramthun, who support his false claims that the election was stolen and say Vos is not doing enough, including decertifying Biden’s win.

The meeting comes after the investigator hired by Vos, former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, earlier this month urged lawmakers to consider decertifying Biden’s win.

Biden’s win by just under 21,000 votes over Trump has withstood lawsuits, recounts and reviews by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau.

Vos, Senate Republican Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and state GOP chairman Paul Farrow were scheduled to meet with county Republican chairs on Wednesday night to discuss election fraud and other issues.

Ramthun and Vos have butted heads over the election and its aftermath. Vos and other Republican leaders have refused to take up Ramthun’s resolutions seeking to decertify the election. And in January, Vos removed Ramthun’s only staff member as punishment after Vos said he falsely accused Vos of signing a deal with attorneys for former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton to authorize absentee ballot drop boxes.

Ramthun has emerged as one of the most vocal election conspiracy theory advocates in Wisconsin, using it as the primary issue for his run for governor. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, also a purveyor of false claims that Trump won the 2020 election, endorsed Ramthun.