Republican Brandtjen removed from Assembly caucus

MADISON, Wis. - The Republican chair of the Wisconsin Assembly elections committee who was backed by former President Donald Trump, embraced conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and wanted to decertify President Joe Biden's victory, has been kicked out of the closed GOP caucus because her colleagues don't trust her, according to a letter sent to the lawmaker.

State Rep. Janel Brandtjen’s expulsion from the caucus comes after Republicans failed to win a supermajority in the Assembly and Trump's endorsed candidate for governor lost to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in the swing state.

The letter, first obtained by WisPolitics.com, was sent to Brandtjen on Friday, just a day after Republicans met in private to vote on their leaders for the upcoming session. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos was reelected to his post. Brandtjen endorsed and campaigned for his Republican opponent, Adam Steen, who was also backed by Trump.

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"The continual issues from the past have led our caucus to lose trust in you," state Rep. Rob Summerfeld, the Assembly GOP caucus co-chair, said in the letter telling Brandtjen she would no longer be allowed to attend the caucus. "For this reason, this vote was taken."

On Tuesday, she said she left the closed caucus after leadership elections because of "family commitments."

Republicans discuss strategy and other issues in the closed caucus meetings that Brandtjen now will no longer attend. Committee assignments, including who will chair the elections committee, are expected to be released in the coming weeks. Brandtjen will almost certainly no longer head the committee.

Republicans will hold a 64-35 majority in the next session, just two votes short of a supermajority needed to override vetoes. But all it takes is 50 votes to pass a bill, meaning Republicans could pass legislation even without the support of 14 representatives.

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Brandtjen, of Menomonee Falls, was first elected to the Assembly in 2014. Since Trump's 2020 election loss in Wisconsin, she has been one of the most vocal proponents of election conspiracy theories, holding hearings and inviting in speakers who have pushed lies about that election.

Brandtjen also co-signed a resolution attempting to decertify Biden's 2020 win, a move that Vos opposed and that attorneys on both sides said was unconstitutional and impossible under state law. Biden's nearly 21,000-vote victory over Trump has withstood multiple reviews, a nonpartisan audit, dozens of lawsuits and two partial recounts.

She was one of the biggest advocates for the election investigation led by Michael Gableman, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice hired by Vos to look into the 2020 election. Gableman's investigation was ridiculed by Republicans and Democrats alike, and Vos fired Gableman in August calling him an "embarrassment" to himself and the state.

Brandtjen was endorsed by Trump this summer. He called her "the most courageous member of the Assembly" and praised her for investigating the 2020 election. Trump on Tuesday announced he was running for president again in 2024.

Both Trump and Brandtjen backed the Republican Steen in his challenge to Vos. Steen narrowly lost in the primary and failed to knock off Vos as a write-in candidate last week.

Nov. 16 statement from Brandtjen:

"A short, three-sentence letter from Republican Caucus Chair Rep. (Bob) Summerfield was delivered to my office, stating that due to ‘continual issues from the past,’ I was being barred from participating in future closed caucuses. There was no specification as to what these ‘continual issues’ were, and neither Rep. Summerfield, nor any other caucus leaders, had the integrity to discuss this with me either in person, privately, or in caucus last week.

"I’m assuming this is in regards to my role as Chairperson of the Committee on Campaigns and Elections and my continuing work to strengthen voting integrity in Wisconsin. It appears caucus leadership is simply too uncomfortable to address the current voting issues, including:

• In the last few weeks, WEC has repeatedly denied open records requests required by statute and our own Legislative Council.
• Citizen Harry Wait has shown that through the WisVote system, anyone can request and receive ballots with zero protections against fraud if they declare themselves indefinitely confined.
• Milwaukee Clerk Kim Zapata requested and sent three military ballots to my home for active military members who not exist.

"Removing me from caucus will not stop the ongoing voting issues that plague our state, but it does prove that many members of the caucus are willing to ignore their constituents to stay in good standing with caucus leadership and keep their committee chairmanships.

"No matter the petty actions of the caucus leadership, I will continue to represent the 22nd Assembly District and address the issues my constituents have told me are important to them, including voting integrity, with the same determination I have in the past."