Hintz Condems Republican Legislators’ Lies And Dangerous Rhetoric Print
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Written by Gordon Hintz Press, Rep. 54th Assembly District   
Friday, 15 January 2021 10:19

trump-insurgents315 Wisconsin state legislators who signed a letter to Vice President Pence calling on him to refuse to certify the 2020 presidential election identified, including some from NE Wisconsin.


MADISON - In an article posted today in the Wisconsin Examiner, it was revealed that fifteen Wisconsin state legislators signed a letter to Vice President Mike Pence calling on him to refuse to certify the 2020 presidential election results. The letter, sent January 5, 2021, the very day before the violent riot and coup attempt in Washington, D.C., was replete with false narratives impugning the integrity of Wisconsin’s election and undermining the legitimacy of the election.

andre-jacqueIt was signed by:

·         Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls)

·         Rep. Rob Brooks (R-Saukville)

·         Rep. Rick Gundrum (R-Slinger)

·         Rep. Cody Horlacher (R-Mukwonago)

·         Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown)

·         Rep. Gae Magnafici (R-Dresser)

·         Rep. Dave Murphy (R-Greenville)

·         Rep. Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz)

·         Rep. Timothy Ramthun (R-Campbellsport)

·         Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin)

·         Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh)

·         Rep. Shae Sortwell (R-Two Rivers)

·         Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac)

·         Rep. Chuck Wichgers (R-Muskego)

·         Sen. André Jacque (R-DePere)

In the days following the coup attempt, it has been made clear by Democrats and Republicans alike that the motivation for the attempted overthrow of our democracy has been the repeated lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. As U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said on January 6th, “[t]hose who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy...The best way we can show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth.

Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) condemned the statements of the Wisconsin legislators who signed the letter.

“This letter calls for sedition, plain and simple,” said Rep. Hintz. “Making the same refuted claims 63 days after the election, and the day before the well-orchestrated coup led by the President, can only be viewed as part of the same dangerous threat.  It should disgust all Wisconsinites that Republican state legislators attached their names to something so false and so dangerous. The words and actions of elected officials matter. The validation of baseless claims that echo President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election to stay in power contributed to the attack on our democracy.”

Assembly Republican leadership has indicated that electoral reform will be a priority in this legislative session, raising questions about continued efforts to undermine democracy in order to feed a conspiracy driven political base. Rep. Hintz is calling for the removal of Reps. Brandtjen, Sanfelippo, Thiesfeldt and Murphy from the Assembly Campaigns and Elections Committee, as their decision to support overturning our democracy disqualifies them from being objective decision makers in any future changes to Wisconsin election law.

“The Speaker should remove these individuals from the Elections Committee immediately,” said Rep. Hintz. “Anyone using their elected position to promote the lie that the presidential election was stolen or reckless enough to call for sedition should be kept as far away from Wisconsin’s election laws as possible.”

Rep. Hintz concluded, “There are really important challenges facing Wisconsin that will take all of our best efforts to solve. There is no room for a QAnon Caucus in the Wisconsin State Legislature.”

Last Updated on Friday, 15 January 2021 10:46