Michael Gableman’s firing capped a 14-month run that began when Assembly Speaker Robin Vos hired him to look into the election under pressure from Trump. But as the investigation progressed under bipartisan criticism, Vos’ relationship with both Trump and Gableman soured. Vos initially said he was “extremely confident” in Gableman’s abilities. After his election victory Tuesday, Vos called Gableman “an embarrassment to himself” and the state. Gableman, who has repeated Trump’s lie that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen,” said Vos “never wanted a real investigation.” “After several members of our caucus have contacted me over the past few days, it is clear to me that we have only one option in this matter, and that is to close the Office of the Special Counsel,” Voss said in a statement. first published in The Associated Press on Friday. Gableman’s did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. After Gableman’s work drew bipartisan scorn, his firing drew bipartisan praise. Britt Cudaback, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has been a vocal critic of Gableman and the investigation, reacted to the firing with one word: “Finally.” “It was a good decision. It would have been a better decision six months ago,” said Republican state Sen. Kathy Bernier, chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee, who went on to add that she has “zero respect for Michael Gableman.” A major rift between Vos and Gableman came when Gableman said in a report that lawmakers should consider certifying the 2020 election, as Trump wants. Vos rejected that proposal, citing widespread legal opinions that it is both unconstitutional and impossible to do. Vos had repeatedly said the goal of the investigation was not to overturn the 2020 election, a move Gableman later told Vos privately in writing was impossible. Even Gableman’s attorney told lawmakers the decertification was “pointless.” Voss said people with ongoing concerns about election integrity should focus on the defeat of Evers, who vetoed the changes Republicans wanted. Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels supports disbanding the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission and has said he would have signed bills vetoed by Evers. Michels’ counsel, Chris Walker, declined to comment on Gableman’s firing. Vos hired Gableman to quell pressure he felt from those who believed Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election. President Joe Biden won Wisconsin by nearly 21,000 votes, a result that survived lawsuits, recounts, reviews, checks and even Gableman’s own research. Unhappy with Vos’ treatment of him, Gableman’s public comments criticizing the speaker increased as did Trump’s. In April, Gableman called for pressure on Vos to extend the former judge’s contract. Vos did – albeit at a pay cut from his original $11,000 a month. Vos suspended the investigation in May, pending the resolution of the ongoing lawsuits. Their relationship reached a tipping point when both Trump and Gableman endorsed Vos’ primary opponent, leading to a tighter-than-expected race. Vos left with 260 votes. Voss said the victory showed him that lawmakers “don’t have to be dogs on what Donald Trump says.” Gableman is also in legal trouble. On Tuesday, a judge was to determine whether Gableman is still in contempt of court for not complying with the state’s open records law. Dane County District Judge Frank Remington, in a scathing order, charged Gableman with unprofessional and misogynistic conduct related to a court appearance in which he refused to answer questions and made sarcastic comments about a female attorney. Remington forwarded his contempt order to the commission that disciplines lawyers for possible further action, including suspending or revoking Gableman’s law license. This is one of four open lawsuits filed by the liberal watchdog group American Oversight. There are also two lawsuits related to the investigation itself, including one filed by Gableman that seeks to imprison the mayors of Madison and Green Bay for not testifying in person as he wanted. The attorneys’ fees awarded so far brought the total tab for Gableman’s investigation, paid for by taxpayers, to more than $1.1 million. Gableman used the investigation to raise his national profile. He led the prayer at Trump’s rally in Wisconsin this month and has been a regular on conservative talk radio, including an appearance where he disparaged the way Wisconsin’s election chief dresses. Gableman has also faced criticism for minimal expense records, muddled emails, meetings with conspiracy theorists including MyPillow executive Mike Lindell, and basic mistakes, including multiple misspellings. For example, in files released during the lawsuits, Gableman and his team routinely misspelled Vos as “Voss.” Democratic state Sen. Melissa Agard said it was “past time” to fire Gableman. “I’m glad President Vos stopped the bleeding for these tax dollars going to a bogus investigation,” he added.
