GREEN BAY – State Representative Amaad Rivera Wagner is condemning Congressman Tom Tiffany for repeating false and misleading claims about Green Bay’s 2020 election during a recent appearance on the Point Taken radio show. During the interview, Tiffany repeated claims about Green Bay’s election administration that have already been investigated, litigated, reviewed, and debunked. When pressed, Tiffany admitted the allegations did not prove fraud.
“Let me be clear: this has been investigated, litigated, reviewed, and debunked,” said Rep. Rivera Wagner. “No fraud was found. No issue affecting the integrity of Green Bay’s election was found. Yet these conspiracy theories continue to be repeated by people who know, or should know, better. That is not leadership. That is dangerous.”
Rivera Wagner said the allegations are not harmless political rhetoric. Similar conspiracy theories about Green Bay helped fuel a multimillion dollar, taxpayer funded investigation led by Michael Gableman that found no evidence of widespread fraud, drew bipartisan criticism, and embarrassed Wisconsin. Gableman even sought to have the mayors of Green Bay and Madison jailed as part of his 2020 election probe. He has since agreed to surrender his law license for three years after legal regulators accused him of misconduct tied to that investigation.
“These lies were not harmless,” said Rivera Wagner. “They cost taxpayers $2.3 million. They drew bipartisan condemnation. They fueled threats against public servants, election workers, police officers, and families. If an elected official can’t tell the difference between facts and conspiracy theories, they have no business asking to lead our state.”
For Rivera Wagner, the consequences were not abstract. He said the people Tiffany is choosing to believe are not neutral truth seekers, but people who stalked public servants, harassed election workers, accused police officers of being “traitors,” and helped create real threats against him and his family. “I was accused of being an undocumented immigrant from Africa. I was accused of inventing my husband and coming to Green Bay to steal an election. I was accused of being a paid Facebook employee,” said Rivera Wagner. “I had to speak with the FBI. I needed local police protection. I installed an alarm system in one of the safest communities in America. My husband needed an emergency escape plan because people who believed these lies stalked him at work.”
Rivera Wagner said the continued spread of election conspiracy theories is especially dangerous after January 6, when lies about the 2020 election helped fuel a violent attack on the United States Capitol. The danger is not theoretical. This week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the FBI interviewed at least two Milwaukee police officers as part of a renewed 2020 election probe, showing how disproven conspiracies continue to consume public resources and target public servants nearly six years later.
“In Green Bay, we take care of one another,” said Rivera Wagner. “That means we don’t put our neighbors, election workers, police officers, public servants, or families in danger to score political points. Democrats and Republicans deserve better than leaders who spread chaos and disproven conspiracy theories. Green Bay did not steal an election. Green Bay stepped up during a crisis. Our city staff, poll workers, police officers, and community members helped run a safe election in the middle of a pandemic. They deserve thanks, not smears. Wisconsin deserves leaders who protect democracy, tell the truth, and understand that words from powerful people carry serious consequences.
