Hope Karnopp
In a Sunday morning interview on WISN-TV's "Upfront," Assembly Speaker Robin Vos repeated calls for former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who he hired, then fired, to investigate the 2020 election, to be disbarred and "never allowed to practice law in Wisconsin again."
"I certainly hope Michael Gableman loses his law license. I hope he goes back to work at Home Depot, where he was working prior to working for us," Vos said. "As I look at what the Office of Lawyer Regulation is saying happened, it's an embarrassment for anybody who practices law."
The Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a disciplinary complaint Tuesday alleging Gableman violated the Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys, including engaging in "disruptive behavior" during a court hearing, making false statements about the integrity of a judge and violating the state's open records law.
More:Former Justice Michael Gableman faces disciplinary complaint tied to 2020 election probe
When a Journal Sentinel reporter previously asked Gableman if he worked at Home Depot before being hired by Vos in 2021 to lead the election review, he refused to answer. Gableman served on the state's highest court between 2008 and 2018.
According to the complaint, the Assembly paid more than $2.3 million for the investigation, which yielded a steady drumbeat of explosive court hearings and rulings in lawsuits over his desire to jail election officials and mayors who refused to be interviewed behind closed doors, and his decision to ignore requests from the public for records related to his probe.
The review never revealed any evidence of significant fraud or new facts related to the election not previously known.
Vos says Republicans will limit education spending in state budget
Vos hit on plenty of other subjects in the wide-ranging interview, including restructuring Milwaukee Public Schools, proposing tax relief for retirees using the state's $4 billion surplus, and requiring state employees to work in the office three or four days a week.
"A lot of employees aren't working, or they're working only from home and not doing it very well with little supervision," Vos said.
Democrats responded to his interview by pointing out the state Legislature is only in session a few months out of the year.
"Rich stuff from a guy who adjourned the Assembly last February yet continues to draw a full-time salary," Democratic Party of Wisconsin communications director Joe Oslund said on X.
Vos also suggested Republicans would not allow a "massive increase" in K-12 and higher education spending in the upcoming two-year budget, after the state's last budget "had the largest increase in education spending in literally a generation," he said.
"There are some parts of Wisconsin where people want to spend more money, and they have every right to do that. If they want to raise their taxes at the ballot box, I support that idea," Vos said. "The idea that we're going to do it for them and take the burden on for every single district ... that's just wrong for the state."
Over one in four public school districts in Wisconsin went to referendum in November, with nearly 78% approved by voters.
More:UW System funding ranks 43rd nationally. A big budget request would move it to middle of pack
More:Wisconsin legislators lay out priorities. Here's what to know from leaders of both parties.
Vos said he wants the Assembly to again pass the "Monday count" bill, which failed in the Senate last session. Clerks have long asked for the ability to begin processing absentee ballots before Election Day to prevent delays, especially in Milwaukee, which can lead to perceptions of a late-night "ballot dump."
Vos said he wants to enforce that only U.S. citizens can vote, after voters approved a referendum adding that language to the state constitution. The author of the referendum previously told the Journal Sentinel that the idea was separate from requiring proof of citizenship to vote, like a passport, birth certificate or naturalization papers.
"We have to actually pass statutes that will say, 'How do we ensure when someone shows up to same-day register, that we know they're a citizen?'" Vos said.
Vos, a longtime target of Trump, voted for him in November
Vos has long been at odds with President-Elect Donald Trump over his efforts to pressure Vos to overturn the 2020 election in Wisconsin, and Trump helped fund a primary challenge against him. Vos endorsed Trump after he won the presidential primaries but had previously called his nomination a "suicide mission."
On Sunday, Vos confirmed he voted for Trump on Nov. 5.
"I thought about the future of our country, the future of our state. And there's no doubt in my mind that Donald Trump being the president is a better option than either Kamala Harris or Joe Biden," he said.
Vos supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the primary.
Vos said he's confident that Republicans will control the Assembly for the rest of the decade, though the state's new legislative maps give Democrats a chance to pick up more seats in the Senate in 2026.
Vos said he plans to run in 2026.
He said, "2024 was a pretty hard year for Robin Vos: Two recalls, a primary, an independent whack job running against me in the fall. It was not an easy time, but hopefully most of that is behind me and now we can focus on all the good things that are left."
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