Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who is leading a partisan investigation into the 2020 election, clashed with state Rep. Mark Spreitzer (D) on Wednesday.
At a hearing before the Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections, Spreitzer challenged Gableman for hiring investigators with a history of working to overturn the 2020 election. Gableman has been previously criticized over the “shamefully biased” investigation.
“It seems that you are firmly in the lane of suggesting that the outcome of the election should have been overturned,” Spreitzer pointed out.
“I’m going to stop you right there, Mr. Spreitzer!” Gableman interrupted. “I’m not going to let you put words in my mouth for your cheap political advancement.”
“Stop!” the former justice screamed. “I have not said anything about overturning any election! Stop making things up, Mark.”
“Then why hire [Ron Heuer]?” Spreitzer wondered.
“Shame on you!” Gableman shouted.
“Shame on you!” Spreitzer shot back. “Why have you hired Mr. Heuer who tried to overturn the will of the people of Wisconsin?”
“I’ll get to Ron Heuer in a second,” Gableman stated.
“I’d like you to get to him now,” Spreitzer pressed.
“I listened to you. You’re going to listen to me,” Gableman grumbled before saying the election may have been “rigged.”
Spreitzer continued to press: “If you wanted this investigation to have the appearance of legitimacy, if you wanted people to withhold judgment and wait for your final report and then to have confidence in that final report, shouldn’t you have avoided hiring people who sued to try to change the outcome of the past election? Shouldn’t you have avoided hiring people with direct ties to the Trump Organization and, frankly, shouldn’t this investigation be headed up by somebody other than you?”
The Republican committee chair then cut off Spreitzer by accusing him of “disparaging” Gableman.