A bid by Rep. Janel Brandtjen to force a vote on Meagan Wolfe impeachment blocked on Assembly floor

MADISON — A Republican lawmaker's effort to initiate impeachment proceedings against Wisconsin's top elections official was rebuffed on the Assembly floor during Thursday's session dedicated to implementing changes — many with bipartisan support — to the state's election laws.

Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, requested unanimous consent to suspend the rules toward the beginning of the session and take up a resolution containing 15 articles of impeachment against Wisconsin Elections Administrator Meagan Wolfe she introduced with four other GOP members of the Assembly in September.

Many of the impeachment articles contain accusations that have been debunked or are based on decisions made by the bipartisan panel of commissioners who oversee Wolfe.

"I think it's unfortunate that this body is working against a process that's allowing someone to remain in office that is not necessary," Brandtjen said.

The motion was out of order, said Speaker Pro Tempore Kevin Petersen, R-Waupaca, who shut down the effort.

Brandtjen said she was prevented from making the same effort when the Assembly met on Tuesday. As Tuesday's session concluded, Brandtjen shouted "Mr. Speaker" from her seat as Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Lake Geneva, adjourned.

Both moves came after former President Donald Trump on Monday shared with his 6.5 million social media followers a press release from Brandtjen criticizing Speaker Robin Vos for not moving to impeach Wolfe. The 2024 GOP presidential primary frontrunner continues to cast the state's nonpartisan election administrator as a villain in his false narrative about the battleground state's 2020 election.

Wolfe has served as a target for nearly three years to those in the Republican Party base who believe widespread election misconduct delivered an election loss to Trump in 2020, despite court rulings, nonpartisan audits, and recounts paid for by Trump, showing President Joe Biden was elected fairly.

"I think we need to move forward and talk about the issues that matter to most Wisconsinites and that is not, for most Wisconsinites, obsessing about Meagan Wolfe," Vos told reporters on Tuesday.

Trump's post on his social media platform Truth Social and Brandtjen's efforts to initiate a vote come amid a six-figure ad campaign in the Milwaukee media market threatening to unseat Vos unless he moves to impeach Wolfe.

Last week, Vos assigned the impeachment resolution to a committee. The ad campaign was launched days after former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman suggested to the group behind the ads that Vos should be recalled if he did not advance the articles.

Vos hired Gableman in 2021 to review the 2020 election during a previous pressure campaign by Trump on Republican legislative leaders to do more to probe his election loss.

Gableman's review turned up no evidence of widespread fraud or misconduct, and his relationship with Vos turned sour as Trump and his supporters blamed Vos for not overturning Biden's legitimate election victory. Just before Vos fired Gableman the former Supreme Court justice helped Vos' unsuccessful primary opponent Adam Steen.

Steen and members of a Racine County-based group focused on false 2020 election claims are listed as registered officers of the group behind the recent ads.

The impeachment articles against Wolfe were first circulated by a group of Republican members of the Assembly on Sept. 21. Vos said at the time he instead preferred using a legislative process that allows a committee to hire a new administrator.

The lawmakers — Brandtjen, Rep. Scott Allen of Waukesha, Rep. Elijah Behnke of Oconto, Rep. Ty Bodden of Hilbert and Rep. Chuck Wichgers of Muskego — argued impeachment is warranted because Wolfe challenged a Senate vote to fire her.

Vos has said he supports removing Wolfe but wants to wait until a lawsuit filed on behalf of Wolfe to keep her in her job plays out. Vos told reporters on Tuesday the GOP caucus was not unified on the move to impeach.

"We just had a brief discussion about it today and I think that we are nowhere near a consensus. But I can't predict what's going to happen in the future," Vos said on Tuesday. "I think it is unlikely that it's going to come up anytime soon."

On Thursday, Rep. David Steffen, R-Green Bay, was asked about the impeachment resolution, which is assigned to the Assembly on Government Accountability and Oversight that he chairs.

"Today we're focusing on election integrity," Steffen said. "I would say to check back next week. That resolution was officially received in my office yesterday, signed for by me, and so we still have time we need to review it within my office and go from there. So I'll have more thoughts and responses on that next week, if it's still an issue at that point."

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Attempt to force vote on Meagan Wolfe impeachment is blocked