Gov. Tony Evers calls for legal consequence for false electors

Attorney General Josh Kaul will not say whether there's an ongoing investigation
By Deneen Smith
Published: Friday, August 4, 2023, 5:45pm

Gov. Tony Evers is calling for Wisconsin's false electors to be "held accountable" for their plan to cast the state's electoral votes for Donald Trump in the last presidential election. Ten Wisconsinites gathered at the state Capitol Dec. 14, 2020, and cast false electoral votes for Trump after Joe Biden's victory in the state. Republicans in six other swing states took similar actions. That plan is a key component in the Aug.1 federal indictment of Trump.

The former president is charged with four felony counts in the case — Conspiracy to Defraud the United States; Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding; Obstruction of and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding; and Conspiracy Against Rights. The plan for false electors in the swing states to cast votes for Trump despite Biden's victory at the polls is a major part of the indictment. Trump and his team of supporters is alleged to have used those alternative slates as part of a campaign to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence into certifying the election in Trump's favor.

On Friday, Evers told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the 10 Wisconsinites who cast the false ballots should face consequences for their actions. The same day, Evers tweeted, "What those ten fake electors did was wrong. People have to be held accountable for that, and I hope to hell somebody does."

Last month, Michigan's attorney general announced felony charges against 16 Michiganders who signed certificates falsely attesting to Trump's victory and sent them to the National Archives. Wisconsin's Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul has consistently refused to comment on whether there is an ongoing investigation into the group's actions.

Read more: https://www.wpr.org/gov-tony-evers-calls-legal-consequence-false-electors