MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A judge’s decision could impact whether Green Bay’s mayor and others will have to participate in private interviews.
It’s been nearly two months since former state Supreme Court justice Michael Gableman issued subpoenas for information and testimony pertaining to last year’s Presidential election. He’s said the goal isn’t to overturn election results, but to see if election laws were followed and need to be changed.
“Both Administrator Wolfe and the commission are committed to making themselves available for testimony,” said Gabe Johnson-Karp, Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General. “The crux here is lawful subpoenas.”
Johnson-Karp represents the Wisconsin Elections Commission and its administrator, Meagan Wolfe. They want Gableman’s subpoenas to be ruled unlawful or be more focused with their requests.
“The more important thing I think is the where and how that testimony occurs and that is before any committee,” said Johnson-Karp. “Before the committee means part of a public, publicly open process.”
Gableman has said he’d like to privately interview election officials and the mayors of Wisconsin’s five largest cities to protect the integrity of the Republican-backed investigation.
“We have an administrative agency, the elections commission, that has been delegated authority to superintend election laws from the legislature that has taken upon itself to sue legislature,” said George Burnett, an attorney representing the Wisconsin Assembly. “That is remarkable.”
Attorneys backing the investigation argue the commission’s lawsuit should be thrown out because it didn’t receive a two-thirds vote of support. They also argue it doesn’t matter if the subpoenas are vague.
“They have no rights to withhold government documents from the legislature involved in supervising their activities and whether or not they’ve faithfully administered the law,” said Jim Bopp, an attorney for Gableman.
Another major focus of the hearings was whether Administrator Wolfe has constitutional rights, while acting in her official capacity, to fight the possibility of imprisonment if she doesn’t comply with the subpoena.
The judge says she’ll issue a written decision on or before January 10th.
Gableman filed his own lawsuit in Waukesha County Court to have Green Bay and Madison’s mayors comply with his subpoenas or face jail time.
That lawsuit was delayed to allow time for a decision in this case.
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