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Did a Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate advise on a plan to have fake electors vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election?

By Tom Kertscher
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YES

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Daniel Kelly advised Republican Party officials on a plan to have a group of Wisconsin Republicans sign paperwork falsely claiming to be electors in the 2020 presidential election.

The plan failed. Wisconsin’s 10 Democratic electors voted for Joe Biden, who defeated Donald Trump in Wisconsin by 20,000-plus votes.

The Electoral College vote officially determines the outcome of presidential elections.

Former Wisconsin Republican Party chairman Andrew Hitt gave sworn testimony in February 2022 to the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Hitt testified to having "pretty extensive conversations" about the plan with Kelly, special counsel to the party. Hitt also testified that before those December 2020 discussions, Kelly was not "in the loop" about the plan.

Kelly, a former state Supreme Court justice, is running against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz in the April 4 election.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Watch Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly was adviser for GOP
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Bice: Supreme Court candidate Daniel Kelly was paid $120,000 by Republicans to work on 'election integrity,' advise on fake electors
U.S. Government Publishing Office Select committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the US Capitol, US House of Representatives, Washington DC, Deposition of: Andrew Hitt
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.