WI Special Counsel Commends City Officials for Commitment to Cooperate with Investigation of 2020 Election

BROOKFIELD, Wis., Oct. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the recent issuance of subpoenas, the Office of Special Counsel announced constructive progress in initial discussions with four of the five cities that received subpoenas. Public officials in Kenosha, Madison, and Racine have all agreed to participate in interviews and share documents, data, and communications requested by Special Counsel Mike Gableman under the authority granted to him by the State Assembly.  Milwaukee City Attorney Tearman Spencer indicated during a press conference on Thursday that the city "intends to comply with reasonable requests made by the special counsel."

Officials in Green Bay – the final member of the "Wisconsin 5" cities that together received over $6 million in private funding from the left-leaning Center for Tech and Civic Life – have also received subpoenas. The Office of Special Counsel is still awaiting a response from Green Bay, where Gableman appeared Tuesday night for a lively and productive discussion with the Common Council during their regularly scheduled meeting.

"Following our recent issuance of subpoenas, we have received encouraging responses from most of the city officials involved, and we expect their full cooperation in scheduled interviews and the expected transfer of all related documents, data, and communications regarding their management of the 2020 election," said Special Counsel Gableman. "I've been clear from the very beginning that this is not an adversarial process, and we appreciate the initial cooperation from officials in Kenosha, Madison, and Racine. We anticipate an equally cooperative response from Milwaukee and Green Bay."

The Office of Special Counsel has expressed willingness to make adjustments to the deadlines specified in the subpoenas for cities that agree to cooperate with the requests.

In a video update released Friday morning, Gableman revealed that everyone interviewed by the Office of Special Counsel is protected by immunity under Chapter 13 of the Wisconsin statutes. In a previous video, he also clarified that the purpose of the Special Counsel investigation is not to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, but rather to determine what went right and what may have gone wrong with election administration so that lawmakers can determine whether they need to make improvements to state election laws.

"This investigation has always been about identifying potential failures, improving election transparency and ensuring our elections are run properly, and restoring public confidence in the election process, which should be inclusive, accountable, and transparent," Gableman said. "That's a goal that everyone should be able to support, regardless of politics."

SOURCE Mike Gableman