MADISON, Wis. (AP) 鈥� The Republican leader of the Wisconsin Assembly said Thursday that he will not pursue impeachment for the presidential battleground state鈥檚 nonpartisan top elections official, despite to do so.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told a reporter that he will wait until a judge has determined whether the Republican-controlled Senate had the authority to vote last month to fire Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe before he takes any further steps to oust her.
In the lawsuit he brought after , Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul accused Republicans of attacking the state's elections. The Senate acted from the bipartisan elections commission, where three Republicans voted to reappoint Wolfe and three Democrats and thus prevent the nomination from reaching the Senate. Wolfe has remained in office while the legal battle plays out.
Vos said he believes that if the court rules there is a vacancy in office, lawmakers should move to appoint a replacement for Wolfe, rather than impeach her.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no need to do an impeachment because she鈥檚 not there lawfully,鈥� Vos said. 鈥淲e need to follow the law and see what the actual rulings are from the court.鈥�
Senate President Chris Kapenga, who asked Vos on Wednesday to , is one of many GOP Wisconsin lawmakers who have vowed to oust Wolfe before the 2024 presidential race.
Wolfe has been the subject of conspiracy theories and threats from election skeptics who falsely claim she was part of a plan to rig the 2020 vote in Wisconsin. President Joe Biden in 2020 by nearly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin, an outcome that has withstood two partial recounts, a nonpartisan audit, a conservative law firm鈥檚 review, and multiple state and federal lawsuits.
The Associated Press
