Washington, D.C.-based American Oversight has filed a fourth open records lawsuit stemming from Michael Gableman’s review of the 2020 election, this time seeking a declaration that his office broke the state’s open records law.
Along with the declaration, the suit filed in Dane County asks for an injunction barring the Office of Special Counsel from deleting and destroying open records and an order to immediately produce records the liberal group had requested.
The new suit comes after Gableman acknowledged in a hearing on a separate suit last week that he has destroyed records he received if he didn’t believe they were relevant to his probe.
“The OSC has deleted public records that don’t suit the faux election-fraud narrative, unabashedly flouting Wisconsin law,” American Oversight senior adviser Melanie Sloan said. “Citizens should have the opportunity to evaluate the OSC’s report for themselves based on the entire record, not just on the documents Gableman wants people to see.”
The group has filed three suits related to the probe after it sought records from the office. In each, it has accused Gableman, his office and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, of failing to turn over records that were being sought.
Gableman has filed an appeal in one of the suits after a Dane County judge found him in contempt for failing to fulfill an open records request. The penalty includes paying $2,000 per day until Gableman complies with the court’s order to provide all documents responsive to American Oversight’s request.
