MADISON – With the Congressional committee investigating the January 6th Insurrection against the US Capitol convening an unanticipated new hearing today, State Treasurer and candidate for U.S. Senate Sarah Godlewski has sent a letter to the panel urging it to compel Ron Johnson to testify under oath about what he knew about the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and what role he may have played in that effort.
Last week, the Committee revealed shocking information that Ron Johnson attempted to personally deliver slates of fake electors to Vice President Mike Pence as the Electoral College votes were being certified.
Read the full letter below:
Honorable Bennie Thompson, Chairman
Honorable Elizabeth Cheney, Ranking Member
The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol
Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member Cheney:
The bombshell revelation that U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) attempted to deliver to then Vice President Mike Pence a slate of bogus Trump electors for Wisconsin and Michigan just as Pence began the official certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021 has stunned my home state.
It has also triggered an avalanche of urgent new questions about the senator’s dangerous and potentially illegal actions.
Sen. Johnson has previously minimized the violence committed by the rioters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol; recklessly pushed baseless January 6th conspiracies; discussed delaying Electoral College certification with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell just two days before January 6th; and has spread Trump’s toxic election lies.
Now, new evidence strongly demonstrates his explicit involvement in the plot to prevent the legal certification of the 2020 presidential election. As the Select Committee’s fourth public hearing revealed this week, Sen. Johnson’s chief-of-staff Sean Riley initiated a text message exchange with Craig Hodgson, a senior staff member to Vice-President Pence, reportedly at Johnson’s direction:
“Johnson needs to hand something to VPOTUS please advise,” Riley texted Hodgson.
“What is it?” Hodgson replied.
“Alternate slate of electors for MI and WI because archivist didn’t receive them,” Riley wrote back.
Hodgson responded: “Do not give that to him.”
In response to questions about whether he actively participated in an attempted coup, Johnson first denied, dodged and deflected repeated inquiries, claiming he had ‘no idea’ where the fake elector slate originated from, and invoking a nameless, mystery intern – all while proclaiming “This is a complete non-story, guys.” He later admitted deeper involvement. One account reported that Johnson actually pretended to be on the phone to escape questions about the shocking text messages.
The phone call was as fake as the electors Ron Johnson used to try to overturn a free, fair and legitimate election in America. As your hearings have powerfully demonstrated, the January 6th Insurrection was nothing short of a violent attempt to overthrow the US government, and discard the will of the people. This new evidence strongly implicates Senator Johnson in that conspiracy against America, and must be pursued further. Specifically:
- Why did Ron Johnson’s story change about who approached him and his office about the fake elector scheme?
- What conversations took place between Sen. Johnson and the Republican activists who served as fake electors and their lawyers – including Trump attorney Jim Troupis, who helped organize the fake electors and who Johnson invited to testify at the hearing he called on election fraud?
- What communications occurred between Sen. Johnson and his staff, and Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Kelly and his staff?
- What conversations took place between Sen. Johnson and his chief of staff about reaching out to the Vice President?
- What correspondence and communications exist between Sen. Johnson and his office, and the fake electors and their lawyers?
- The text from Sen. Johnson’s chief of staff claims that the slates could not be delivered to the “archivist,” but that isn’t true – the archivist had received both sets of fake slates weeks before. Where did this false assertion come from?
On behalf of everyone in Wisconsin who cherishes the Constitution and fears that American Democracy teeters on the precipice, I urge you to invite Senator Johnson to appear before the Select Committee and answer questions under oath and penalty of perjury about his involvement in an attempted coup to install Donald Trump as president.
If he should refuse your invitation, I ask that you use your legal subpoena authority to compel Senator Johnson to appear before the Committee and answer questions under oath and penalty of perjury.
Sincerely,
Sarah Godlewski
Wisconsin State Treasurer
