Wisconsin False Electors Case Moves Forward Amid Calls for Delay
The legal proceedings against a prominent figure involved in Wisconsin’s alleged false electors plan will continue on Monday. This development comes as supporters of former President Donald Trump make efforts to postpone the case.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson, a known supporter of Trump, has requested that the U.S. Department of Justice reevaluate the charges against Jim Troupis. Troupis, who served as Trump’s campaign lawyer in Wisconsin during the 2020 election, is facing 11 felony forgery charges.
Allegations suggest that Troupis collaborated with Ken Chesebro, a Trump campaign attorney, and Mike Roman, a campaign aide, to orchestrate the false electors scheme. This plan involved Republican electors from crucial swing states signing documents that falsely declared Trump’s victory in those states.
Last year, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed felony charges against the trio, accusing them of masterminding the plot that deceived Wisconsin’s 10 false electors. The strategy allegedly used Wisconsin as a testing ground.
Senator Johnson’s letter represents the latest attempt by Troupis’ supporters to have the case dismissed or postponed. Johnson expressed concerns about the impartiality of the presiding judge, appealing to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for a review.
“Therefore, I respectfully request that the Department of Justice review Mr. Troupis’ case to determine whether any wrongdoing has occurred,” Johnson stated in his letter, signed in his capacity as a member of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Earlier attempts to delay the case, citing alleged political bias by Dane County judges against Troupis and his co-defendants, have been unsuccessful. Troupis’ attorney, Joseph Bugni, claimed that the Dane County Circuit Court Judge John Hyland’s order was primarily written by retired Judge Frank Remington, a claim Hyland has denied.
Judge Hyland rejected Bugni’s motion to transfer the case, stating, “no person other than the assigned staff attorney and I had a hand in drafting or editing the decision which this Court signed and entered.” Remington also denied any involvement, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “I’ve never talked to Judge Hyland about this case either before I retired or after. I did not write any of his decisions or opinions — not one word, not one paragraph.”
The preliminary hearing for Troupis, Chesebro, and Roman in their criminal case is scheduled for Monday in Dane County Court, barring any federal intervention. Despite being included in a recent Trump pardon list, which covers 77 other individuals involved in the false electors scheme, federal pardons do not affect state-level investigations.
Previously, Troupis and Chesebro settled a civil lawsuit in Wisconsin, arguing they were exploring a novel legal theory to maintain Trump’s legal options during the 2020 election dispute. Trump secured victories in Wisconsin during his successful presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2024.
