WISCONSIN – Today, former Congressman Reid Ribble, Praveen Fernandes, Vice President at the Constitutional Accountability Center, and polling analyst Jim Williams joined a press briefing hosted by the Defend Democracy Project to discuss what Wisconsinites have learned so far from the public hearings of the January 6th Select Committee, new public opinion research on Wisconsinites’ attitudes about the hearings, and the ongoing threat to our democracy.
The first set of hearings from the committee has proven how Donald Trump and MAGA allies planned, promoted, and paid for a criminal conspiracy in an attempt to remain in office and overturn the results of an election they knew he lost.
As the committee enters into a break to evaluate a wealth of new evidence uncovered since the hearings began in June, we must be vigilant of the ongoing threat and continued efforts from MAGA allies across the country to take away our right to pick who leads us.
Speakers discussed what Wisconsinites have learned from the committee hearings so far, the ongoing conspiracy threatening our right to vote, and why it is essential to hold those engaging in the criminal conspiracy accountable – no matter if they are past presidents, members of Congress, or other elected officials. This is the only way we will protect our right to vote and choose our own leaders, and stop the current attempts to overturn the will of the people.
“I was shocked, I was dismayed, I was frustrated, and I was deeply, deeply saddened for our republic and our democracy on January 6,” said former Congressman Reid Ribble, who urged his fellow Republicans to stand up to ongoing threats to American democracy. “The Committee has done a credible job in making the case that there were laws that were broken, that people need to be held to account, and that we somehow need to protect our democracy going forward so that this cannot happen again.”
“A majority of Wisconsinites support the investigation and 60 percent of Wisconsin voters say the January 6th investigation is important to protecting democracy,” said Jim Williams, an analyst with Public Policy Polling who shared findings from new public opinion research conducted in Wisconsin, including data showing widespread concern over Senator Ron Johnson’s role in the effort to undermine the election. “This is something that majorities of Wisconsin voters are concerned about. This is not just about Democrats.”
“The American people have been presented with all of this evidence, and now the question is – apart from prosecutions on the state and federal levels – what will the American people do with this information?” said Praveen Fernandes, the Vice President of the Constitutional Accountability Center, who described accountability for bad actors as essential to moving forward and safeguarding American democracy.
Watch the news conference here, view the new opinion research in Wisconsin here, and learn more about the Defend Democracy Project here.
