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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
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.
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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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