MADISON – A judge expressed bafflement Thursday that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos had turned over so few documents about a Republican review of the 2020 election.
The liberal group American Oversight is asking Dane County Circuit Court Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn to hold Vos in contempt of court for not producing all documents in response to requests it has filed under the state’s open records law.
Bailey-Rihn said Thursday she would not hold anyone in contempt of court for now because she doesn’t know how thoroughly Vos and his aides searched for documents they are required to make public.
She said she didn’t understand how Vos could have found so few documents for a review of the election that has lasted months, has a taxpayer-funded budget of $676,000 and has included travel to Arizona. The election review is being conducted by former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman.
“Does he not have any itinerary and did he not have any work product for what he did out in Arizona while he was there?” she asked.
“It seems strange to me that this could be going on for three months (as of August) with I think one if not more attorneys working on this and they did nothing. They provided nothing? They don’t even have a copy of the receipt showing that they paid for their plane tickets?”
Bailey-Rihn scheduled a hearing for Jan. 24 where she can hear from Vos or his aides about what he did to try to identify records related to the election review.
If she finds Vos fell short of his duties, she could find the Rochester Republican in contempt of court. American Oversight is asking her to force him to pay $2,000 per day until he turns over all the records at play in the case.
The lawsuit is one of three American Oversight has brought to try to turn up records about the election inquiry.
Bailey-Rihn in November first ordered Vos to release records. American Oversight received little from Vos and brought its request for contempt proceedings.
Vos attorney Ronald Stadler…
Source : yahoo
