Wisconsin
Settlement in Wisconsin fake elector case offers new details on the strategy by Trump lawyers
Two attorneys for then-President Donald Trump orchestrated a plan for fake electors to file paperwork falsely saying the Republican won Wisconsin in a strategy to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory there and in other swing states, according to a lawsuit settlement reached Monday that makes public months of texts and emails.
Under their agreements, Kenneth Chesebro and Jim Troupis turned over more than 1,400 pages of documents, emails and text messages, along with photos and video, offering a detailed account of the scheme’s origins in Wisconsin. The communications show how they, with coordination from Trump campaign officials, replicated the strategy in six other states including Georgia, where Chesebro has already pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the 2020 election.
The agreements settle a civil lawsuit brought by Democrats in 2022 against the two attorneys and 10 Republicans in Wisconsin who posed as fake electors. The Republicans settled in December.
“Our democracy demands better than this,” said Scott Thompson, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys who helped negotiate the agreements. “That is why this lawsuit … consistently sought transparency, accountability and deterrence. We can’t let this happen again.”
There is no admission of wrongdoing or liability in the agreements in which Chesebro and Troupis promise to never participate in similar efforts involving future presidential campaigns. Troupis must also pay an undisclosed amount to the plaintiffs.
Phone and text messages left Monday for Troupis and Chesebro weren’t immediately returned.
Electors are people appointed to represent voters in presidential elections. The winner of the popular vote in each state determines which party’s electors are sent to the Electoral College, which meets in December after the election to certify the outcome.
The documents show how Chesebro and Troupis, Trump’s attorney in Wisconsin, used arcane laws in rationalizing and drafting the false certificates for the fake electors. They also reveal how the two strategized ways to delay deadlines for certifying electoral votes and sway public opinion, including floating ideas on conservative talk radio.
In November 2020, as they were awaiting a decision from the then-conservative leaning Wisconsin Supreme Court on Trump’s effort to invalidate thousands of votes in the state, Chesebro suggested to Troupis that they contact conservative radio hosts in Milwaukee and Madison: “Mostly to maximize the chance that SCOW (Supreme Court of Wisconsin) justices hear about this quickly and prejudge the case?”
He ended with a winking emoji.
The fake elector efforts are central to an August federal indictment filed against Trump alleging he tried to overturn results of the 2020 election. Federal prosecutors, investigating his conduct related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, have also said the scheme originated in Wisconsin. Trump also faces charges in Georgia and has denied wrongdoing.
Michigan and Nevada have criminally charged fake electors, but there’s no known criminal investigation in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, has suggested he’s relying on federal investigators while also not ruling out a state probe. Attorneys who negotiated the settlement said information in the documents has already been provided to Kaul’s office.
Monday’s agreements were announced by Georgetown University Law Center’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, Law Forward and the Madison-based Stafford Rosenbaum law firm.
According to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, the documents show how Troupis, an attorney who has represented the Republican Party of Wisconsin and is a former judge, was deeply involved in the origins of the effort.
Trump lost Wisconsin to Biden, a Democrat, by fewer than 21,000 votes.
At Troupis’ urging, Chesebro drafted memos in the final months of 2020 detailing how to prepare the fake elector certificates and how they should be signed. The documents include a 10-minute video of the fake electors who cheer and take photos as they cast and sign ballots for Trump at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
There are no direct communications with Trump in the documents, but there are exchanges with top campaign aides and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
A day after Chesebro shares a Dec. 6 memo on strategies, Troupis follows up via text: “I have sent it to the White House this afternoon. The real decision makers.”
There’s a brief mention of a Dec. 16 afternoon meeting with Trump in the Oval Office that both men attended with others. Three days later, Chesebro refers to Trump’s social media post summoning followers to Washington on Jan. 6, saying “Be there, will be wild!”
“Wow. Based on three days ago, I think we have a unique understanding of this,” Chesebro texts Troupis.
Trump campaign officials did offer their assessment of each state’s progress on the fake elector plan.
“Wisconsin appears to be the most organized state so far,” concludes a Dec. 11, 2020, email from Trump campaign associate general counsel Joshua Findlay to Chesebro.
“This all came out of Wisconsin and expanded to other states,” said attorney Mary McCord with Georgetown’s institute, who helped negotiate the settlement. “That was a significant part of the narrative that led to the violence on Jan 6.”
After the deadly attack at the Capitol, the attorneys discussed falsely deflecting blame from Trump supporters to members of the anti-fascist movement, among others.
“It’d be nice if Trump surrogates could get across that without antifa’s role in the actual breaking in … the scene at the Capitol would have been entirely peaceful. And that Trump could not (have) reasonably foreseen this,” Chesebro wrote in a text to Troupis.
He added, “The President can put this behind him if he invites Biden and (Vice President Kamala) Harris over for coffee on inauguration morning and attends the (virtual) inauguration.”
Government and outside investigationshave uniformly found there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could have swung the 2020 election. But Trump has continued to spread falsehoods about the election.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 25, 2024, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Nov. 25 drawing
05-35-45-60-63, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Nov. 25 drawing
0-9-4
8-1-4
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Nov. 25 drawing
3-2-7-4
0-0-7-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from Nov. 25 drawing
Midday: 02-03-04-05-08-10-11-13-15-19-22
Evening: 01-02-03-04-09-11-12-14-17-18-20
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from Nov. 25 drawing
03-06-15-18-25
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from Nov. 25 drawing
08-17-28-30-32-34, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Gas prices are the cheapest they’ve been since the pandemic, just as people prepare to travel for the holidays.
According to AAA Wisconsin, the average gas prices is $2.86 per gallon in the state, a new low since 2020.
”We’ve had so many disruptions in the last four to five years between Covid and then the Ukraine conflict that has sent prices either far down or bringing them to historic highs,” AAA Director of Public Affairs Nick Jarmusz said. “We kind of forget what normal is.”
He said the low cost at the pump is a result of peak summer travel season ending, an even supply and demand for fuel and fewer global crises.
”Right now we’re in a pretty favorable balance between lower demand and pretty plentiful supply and no real disruptions to speak of,” he said.
People can save more money at the pump if they drive the speed limit.
”By sticking closer to the speed limit, avoiding aggressive driving in situations, you can actually increase your fuel efficiency by about 40% or up to 40%,” Jarmusz said. “Which can add up to pretty significant savings.”
If trends continue, he also said prices might drop even more. ”Really, I would not be surprised to see these prices continue to go down,” Jarmusz said. “I don’t think we’ve seen the lowest prices we’ll see this year yet.”
According to AAA the best times to travel before Thanksgiving on Thursday is in the morning hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Roads will be busiest in the afternoons.
Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.
Copyright 2024 WMTV. All rights reserved.
Wisconsin
Game 12 Wisconsin football two-deep for Minnesota Gophers game Nov. 29 at Camp Randall Stadium
MADISON – A look at the unofficial two-deep for the Wisconsin football team heading into its game against Minnesota at 11 a.m. Friday at Camp Randall Stadium.
OFFENSE
Quarterback
1 – Braedyn Locke, 6-1, 205, redshirt-soph.
2 – Mabrey Mettauer, 6-4, 230, fr.
Running back
1 – Tawee Walker, 5-9, 218, sr.
2 – Darrion Dupree, 5-10, 205, fr.
Receiver
1 – Bryson Green, 6-3, 213, sr.
2 – C.J. Williams, 6-2, 196, jr.
Receiver
1 – Vinny Anthony II, 6-0, 188, jr.
2 – Quincy Burroughs, 6-2, 212, r-soph.
Slot recever
1 – Will Pauling, 5-10, 187, r-jr.
2 – Trech Kekahuna, 5-10, 187, r-fr.
Tight end
1 – Riley Nowakowski, 6-1, 243, r-sr.
2 – Tucker Ashcraft, 6-5, 255, soph.
Left tackle
1 – Jack Nelson, 6-7, 316, sr.
2 – Barrett Nelson, 6-6, 302, r-soph.
Left guard
1 – Joe Brunner, 6-5, 313- r-soph.
2. – James Durand, 6-5, 305, r-fr.
Center
1 – Jake Renfro, 6-3, 302, r-sr.
2. – Kerry Kodanko, 6-2, 308, r-sr.
Right guard
1 – Joe Huber, 6-5, 310, r-sr.
2 – JP Benzschawel, 6-6, 312, r-jr.
Right tackle
1 – Riley Mahlman, 6-8, 308, r-jr.
2 – Kevin Heywood, 6-8, 325, fr.
DEFENSE
Line
1 – Ben Barten, 6-5, 308, r-sr.
2 – Elijah Hills, 6-3, 282, sr.
Line
1 – Curt Neal, 6-0, 290, r-soph.
2 – Cade McDonald, 6-6, 285, r-sr.
Outside linebacker
1 – Darryl Peterson, 6-1, 248, r-jr.
2 – Aaron Witt, 6-6, 247, r-jr.
Inside linebacker
1 – Jake Chaney, 5-11, 233, sr.
2 – Tackett Curtis, 6-2, 228, soph.
Inside linebacker
1 – Christian Alliegro, 6-4, 240, soph.
2 – Jaheim Thomas, 6-4, 245, r-sr.
Outside linebacker
1 – Leon Lowery, 6-3, 252, r-sr.
2 – Sebastian Cheeks, 6-3, 230, r-soph., or John Pius, 6-4, 250, r-sr.
Cornerback
1 – Ricardo Hallman, 5-10, 185, r-jr.
2 – R.J. Delancy III, 5-11, 193, r-sr., or Jonas Duclona, 5-10, 190, soph.
Strong safety
1 – Hunter Wohler, 6-2, 218, sr.
2 – Owen Arnett, 5-11, 210, r-jr.
Free safety
1 – Preston Zachman, 6-1, 212, r-sr.
2 – Austin Brown, 6-1, 210, jr.
Cornerback
1 – Nyzier Fourqurean, 6-1, 190, r-sr.
2 – R.J. Delancy, 5-11, 193, r-sr., or Xavier Lucas, 6-2, 198, fr.
Nickel back
1 – Austin Brown, 6-1, 210, jr.
2 – Max Lofy, 5-10, 188, r-sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter
1 – Atticus Bertrams, 6-3, 225, soph.
2 – Gavin Meyers, 6-1, 198, r-sr.
Field goal kicker
1 – Nathanial Vakos, 6-1, 205, jr.
2 – Gavin Lahm, 6-0, 213, jr.
Kickoffs
1 – Gavin Lahm, 6-10, 213, jr.
2 – Nathanial Vakos, 6-1, 205, jr.
Long snapper
1 – Cayson Pfeiffer, 6-0, 205, sr.
2 – Duncan McKinley, 6-2, 222, r-sr.
Holder
1 – Gavin Meyers, 6-1, 198, r-sr.
2 – Atticus Bertrams, 6-2, 225, soph.
Punt returner
1 – Vinny Anthony II, 6-0, 188, jr.
2 – Hunter Wohler, 6-2, 218, sr.
Kickoff returner
1 – Vinny Anthony II, 6-0, 188, jr.
2 – Trech Kekahuna, 5-10, 197, r-fr.
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