Members of Wisconsin's Congressional Delegation Remain Largely Silent on Latest Trump Indictment

Thursday, August 3rd, 2023 -- 12:01 PM

(By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio) Members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation have been largely silent about the indictment of former President Donald Trump for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election and the multiple Wisconsin connections made in the allegations. 

According to Rich Kremer with Wisconsin Public Radio, Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday. The charges allege Trump and unnamed co-conspirators launched a conspiracy to keep him in office and prevent President Joe Biden from taking office, those actions leading to a violent riot at the U.S. Capitol as members of Congress worked to certify Biden's victory.

There are four counts against Trump in the indictment: Conspiracy to Defraud the United States; Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding; Obstruction of and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding; and Conspiracy Against Rights.

Wisconsin Public Radio reached out to all of Wisconsin's Democratic and Republican members of Congress for comment on the indictments and multiple connections to Wisconsin and a fraudulent elector scheme. Most did not respond. Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan told WPR the indictment is "laying out many of the crimes that former President Trump did in order to try and stay in office."

"This, for many people, is something they were hoping that the legal system would follow the right path on," Pocan said. "And it clearly has. I think at this point now we're going to see the full extent of the con that went on, including in our own state."

In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany called it "another sham indictment of Donald Trump" and referred to a "sweetheart plea deal" related to an investigation into President Biden's son Hunter Biden.

In December 2020, after Biden defeated Trump in the presidential election, Tiffany joined more than 100 House Republicans in signing onto a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn the election results.

The Trump indictment focuses on 84 people in seven states, including Wisconsin, who signed papers claiming to be certified presidential electors for Trump. Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin by around 21,000 votes.

"The memoranda evolved over time from a legal strategy to preserve the Defendant's rights to a corrupt plan to subvert the federal government function by stopping Biden Electors' votes from being counted and certified," the indictment states.

Wisconsin's fake electors included current Wisconsin Elections Commission member Bob Spindell, former chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin Andrew Hitt and current congressional GOP party chairs Bill Feehan and Kelly Ruh.

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