In a recent interview, the ex-chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party revealed that he had sent Congress documents, which he personally signed as an elector for Donald Trump, after the former president’s defeat in the 2020 election. His decision to do so was driven by concerns for his own safety, as he feared potential backlash from supporters of the candidate.
During an episode of CBS’ “60 Minutes” that will air Sunday evening, Andrew Hitt, the former chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin during the 2020 election, provided an explanation for his involvement in a scheme devised by Trump and his supporters to retain power after losing the reelection.
In a video shared with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by “60 Minutes,” Hitt expresses his fear of potential repercussions from Trump supporters if he refused to sign the paperwork. He worries about the safety of himself and his family, especially considering the possibility of courts overturning President Joe Biden’s victory in Wisconsin.
Andrew Hitt, a member of the Wisconsin Election Commission, expressed his concern about the potential consequences if he had not taken action to verify the votes in Wisconsin. In an interview with “60 Minutes,” Hitt shared his thoughts on the matter, stating, “If I didn’t do that, and the court did throw out those votes, it would have been solely my fault that Trump wouldn’t have won Wisconsin.” He emphasized the personal impact, saying, “Can you imagine the repercussions on myself, my family if it was me, Andrew Hitt, who prevented Donald Trump from winning Wisconsin?” Hitt’s remarks shed light on the weight of responsibility he felt in ensuring a fair and accurate electoral process.
However, when Hitt and nine other Republicans gathered at the state Capitol to sign the paperwork stating that they were electors for Trump, it was already confirmed by the state Supreme Court that Biden had won.
In the state of Wisconsin, Biden emerged victorious over Trump with a margin of approximately 21,000 votes. Trump, however, contested the results and called for recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties. Despite the recounts confirming Biden’s win, Trump proceeded to file a lawsuit. On December 14, 2020, the state Supreme Court upheld the election results with a 4-3 vote.
In less than an hour, Democrats convened in the state Capitol to officially allocate the state’s 10 electoral votes to Biden.
Meanwhile, another group of individuals claiming to be Trump electors gathered in a different section of the Capitol building to complete the necessary paperwork, asserting that Trump had emerged victorious. They officially submitted their documents to various entities, including Congress, the National Archives, a federal judge, and then-Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette.
The fake electors claimed that they convened the meeting with the intention of securing the state’s electoral votes for Trump, in the event that a court ruled him as the rightful winner of the state.
Andrew Hitt tells Anderson Cooper ‘it was not a safe time’
Hitt admitted that he felt unsafe during the period when Cooper questioned him about his fear of Trump supporters in Wisconsin.
Hitt expressed his deep concern about the possibility that Trump’s loss in Wisconsin could be attributed to him, as suggested by his lawyer. He admitted feeling scared to death if that were the case.
In his deposition with the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Hitt expressed his concern for his physical safety while signing the paperwork.
Hitt expressed a general concern about safety and how to ensure the well-being of everyone in the event of disruptions or protests, as stated in the deposition transcript.
During this period, I received numerous phone calls at my office, which my secretary informed me about, insisting on knowing my precise whereabouts. I cannot confirm their authenticity, but I also received a significant number of intimidating emails from individuals on both sides of the political spectrum. It was an unpredictable and tense time, causing concern not only for our electors but also for myself.
In the final report from the Jan. 6 committee, text messages reveal that Hitt expressed concerns about the fake elector plan to the party’s executive director before the paperwork was signed.
“I’m really worried about their investigation,” Hitt messaged Mark Jefferson, the executive director of the state GOP, upon hearing about the scheme that unfolded after Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. “I hope they’re not expecting us to do something like claiming we’re the legitimate electors.”
“I just received a message about discussing the fake elector plan with Trump attorney Rudy Guiliani. These guys are definitely up to no good, and I have a strong feeling that their actions are going to fail miserably,” he texted a colleague on December 12, 2020.
Hitt made it clear that he wouldn’t support Trump if he decided to attack “our guys,” alluding to the Republican governors of Arizona and Georgia, whom Trump had criticized after the 2020 presidential election.
Hitt sent a text to Jefferson, expressing his anticipation for an eventful day ahead. The text conversation involved a discussion on selecting one out of three rooms in the Capitol to seek refuge with Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Bob Spindell. The purpose of this plan was to evade media attention during the paperwork signing process, considering the public status of both Hitt and Spindell.
In addition to Wisconsin, Republicans in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada have also signed documents claiming to be electors. Furthermore, Republicans in New Mexico and Pennsylvania have completed paperwork stating that they should be recognized as electors if the courts determine that Trump has won their respective states.
In July, 16 Republicans in Michigan faced felony charges brought by the state’s attorney general. These individuals were accused of posing as fake electors for Trump and submitting false certificates to validate their legitimacy as electors. This occurred despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
Trump faces indictment for his role in the insurrection on January 6, 2021. The charges primarily revolve around his involvement in the fake elector strategy.
According to reports, Attorney General Josh Kaul in Wisconsin is currently investigating the fake Trump elector scheme. However, there has been no official confirmation or discussion of the alleged probe by Kaul himself.
In December, CNN reported that Kenneth Chesebro, a former campaign attorney for Trump and a Wisconsin native, is assisting investigators in multiple states, including Wisconsin, in their investigation into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Hitt and the other false electors recently reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit brought by Biden’s genuine 2020 electors. As part of the agreement, the 10 Republicans admitted that their actions were aimed at overturning the election and pledged not to serve as electors for Trump in the future or engage in any similar activities involving the transmission of such documents, among other conditions.
The Republicans who falsely claimed to be electors met at the Wisconsin State Capitol, where they issued a statement. In their statement, they explained that they signed paperwork to comply with requests from the Trump campaign and the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
“The Republicans assert that the Elector Defendants made the aforementioned move based on the belief that it was imperative to safeguard their electoral votes in case a court dispute subsequently altered the outcome of the Wisconsin election. They further claim that this document was subsequently employed in an effort to unlawfully overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.”
According to Hitt, he believes that the group of Republicans were deceived by the Trump campaign into getting involved in the scheme. He also made a commitment not to vote for Trump in 2024.
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