Governor Tony Evers criticized the ongoing FBI inquiry into Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election, describing a federal agent’s visit to a county elections official’s home as “bizarre” and stating he will oppose any attempts to seize ballots or records.
Evers told reporters he was not aware of a widespread FBI effort but emphasized that state officials are prepared to monitor agents and ensure they access only what is legally permitted. He stated, “We have plans to, if they show up, we will be there to make sure that they are asking for what they have access to, but also making sure that they’re not doing what they shouldn’t do,” during an interview with Matt Smith on Upfront.
The FBI interviewed Wisconsin Elections Commission deputy administrator Robert Kehoe regarding state election procedures and has sought interviews with at least two Milwaukee election staff members involved in the 2020 vote. Agents also left a business card at Milwaukee County Election Director Michelle Hawley’s home. Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson described the home visit as an “intrusion” and defended the 2020 results as “fair and transparent,” referencing multiple audits, recounts, and court challenges that confirmed Joe Biden’s narrow 20,682-vote victory in Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Mayor Chevy Johnson went further, blasting the probe as an attempt to “alter reality” and claiming Milwaukee’s elections were conducted with “the highest level of integrity and accuracy.”
The rapid, coordinated pushback from top Democrats raised eyebrows. If there were truly nothing suspicious about the 2020 election, as Evers, Johnson, and other Democrats repeatedly insist, legislative leaders and election officials should welcome a thorough FBI investigation that would, once and for all, confirm the results and put lingering questions to rest. Instead, their knee-jerk attacks on federal investigators have more to do with President Trump being back in office and create the impression they have something to hide.
One unresolved issue fueling skepticism is the conduct of Claire Woodall-Vogg, who served as Milwaukee Election Commission executive director in 2020. She has never been made to answer publicly for a 4 a.m. email exchange on November 4, 2020, with election consultant Ryan Chew of The Election Group. In the message, Chew wrote: “Damn, Claire, you have a flair for drama, delivering just the margin needed at 3:00 a.m.” Woodall-Vogg replied minutes later, noting she had been awake for a full 24 hours. The exchange, first publicized in 2021, occurred during late-night absentee ballot counting in Milwaukee.
The FBI’s probe follows similar federal reviews in other 2020 battleground states, such as Georgia and Arizona.
