GOP leader dismisses pressure campaign to impeach state's top election officer
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said his chamber is "unlikely to vote" on an effort to impeach the state's top election official after facing pressure from a group of conspiracy theorists and former President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Vos downplayed a pressure campaign fueled by a group of voters who believe he's not doing enough to overhaul elections.
The group has spent tens of thousands of dollars on TV ads in the Milwaukee area threatening to oust Vos if he doesn't hold a vote on articles of impeachment against Meagan Wolfe, the administrator of the state elections commission.
"We need to move on," Vos told reporters. "The election in 2024 should not be about what occurred in 2020."
Former President Donald Trump also got involved by posting on his social media platform a statement from one of Vos' biggest critics, who's called on the GOP leader to hold a vote on 15 articles of impeachment.
On Truth Social, Trump posted Rep. Janel Brandtjen's (R-Menomonee Falls) press release that demanded Vos act on a resolution she and four other Republicans introduced to impeach Wolfe.
Vos said his caucus is nowhere near a consensus and suggested he won't act on the effort.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says there will not be vote today on impeaching Meagan Wolfe.
— Emilee Fannon (@Emilee_Fannon) November 7, 2023
He says there was a brief discussion about it in caucus.
“We are no where near a consensus…but I think it’s unlikely it will come up anytime soon.” pic.twitter.com/LArcaNiNh6
"I think it's unlikely that it's going to come up anytime soon…I think we move forward and talk about the issues that impact most Wisconsinites and that is not, for most Wisconsinites, obsessing about Meagan Wolfe," he said.
The articles of impeachment are filled with a slew of false narratives about the 2020 election. Many target Wolfe for decisions the bipartisan elections commission made such as voting to add absentee ballot drop boxes and allowing clerks to fill in missing information on ballot envelopes. Both issues have been overturned by judges and some are being relitigated.
The debate over whether Wolfe should keep her job will continue as it's currently the center of a legal battle.
The Senate voted to fire Wolfe in September, but GOP leaders later admitted they had no authority to do so. It triggered a lawsuit by Attorney General Josh Kaul.
A judge overseeing the case issued a temporary injunction this month barring the GOP-Legislature from removing Wolfe or appointing someone else as the case continues.