Evers calls GOP-ordered election probe a ‘boondoggle’

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday blasted a Republican-ordered investigation into the 2020 presidential election as a “$700,000 boondoggle” and said election clerks should be “lawyered up.” After an election audit in Arizona confirmed President Joe Biden’s win there, Republicans have focused their attention on Wisconsin, where Biden also won, and other states where they’re pursuing reviews of last year’s election. Gableman’s first email to election clerks confused many, as it came from a Gmail address under the name “John Delta” and contained an attachment. Meagan Wolfe, director of the elections commission, said Tuesday that Gableman had not contacted its office other than to request contact information for the state’s 1,800-plus local election clerks. Republican state Sen. Kathy Bernier, chair of the Senate elections committee, said earlier this month, “There is not a reason to spread misinformation about this past election when we have all the evidence that shows otherwise.” Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who ordered the investigation and hired Gableman, said Tuesday that he had confidence in his work, which he expected to be completed in late October or early November.