Washington — In a surprising move, the FBI sought to question Milwaukee County’s director of elections, according to a statement released by the county clerk’s office on Thursday morning.
County Clerk George Christenson revealed that an FBI agent made an unannounced visit to the elections director’s home, leaving behind a business card.
“It’s regrettable that the FBI opted to approach the personal residence of Milwaukee County’s Elections Director instead of contacting the Election Commission’s office directly,” Christenson remarked. “No public servant dedicated to their duties should experience this kind of personal intrusion simply for performing their job with integrity and professionalism.” He further mentioned that the county intends to “investigate the purpose of this visit.”
As Wisconsin’s largest county, Milwaukee County includes the city of Milwaukee. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden secured nearly 70% of the 459,723 votes cast in the county, securing a narrow victory in the state by a margin of just over 20,000 votes. The Trump campaign’s lawsuit in December 2020 aimed to discard over 200,000 ballots from Milwaukee and Dane Counties, but it was unsuccessful.
Christenson staunchly defended the integrity of the county’s election procedures in his statement.
“The 2020 Presidential Election was conducted fairly and transparently, and the results are accurate,” he asserted. “Over the last six years, this has been confirmed repeatedly through the post-election canvass, the Presidential Election Recount, challenges in both state and federal courts, a forensic audit by Wisconsin’s Legislative Audit Bureau, and two additional independent audits. Revisiting resolved issues does not enhance public trust in elections; rather, it diminishes it.”
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Christenson defended the county’s election processes in his statement.
“The 2020 Presidential Election was fair and transparent, and its results are accurate. This has been proven repeatedly over the last six years by the post-election canvass, the Presidential Election Recount, State court-based challenge, Federal court-based challenge, the forensic audit by the Wisconsin’s Legislative Audit Bureau, and two additional independent audits. Continuing to relitigate settled questions does not strengthen public confidence in elections but it undermines it,” he said.
The clerk added that the county would cooperate with “all legitimate” law enforcement activity, but will “defend against any attack on our democracy and will defend the rights of voters of Milwaukee County.”
The FBI declined to comment. Hawley did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The now-confirmed investigation in Milwaukee adds to the pressure campaign the Trump administration launched against swing states and officials who ran elections in localities that President Trump lost in 2020. Federal officials are also examining election material from Fulton County, Georgia, and Wayne County, Michigan.
