Rep. Ron Kind had harsh words for his Wisconsin colleague, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, on Friday, calling for an investigation into his involvement with the state's fake electors in 2020.
During a Tuesday hearing, the House Select Committee investigating January 6 revealed that Johnson's Chief of Staff, Sean Riley, texted Vice President Mike Pence's legislative director in late 2020 about sending an alternate slate of electors from Wisconsin and Michigan that would overturn Joe Biden's victories in the states. Johnson has attempted to deny or distance himself from the situation, recently claiming that he only connected Riley with a lawyer working with Donald Trump's effort to throw out votes in the state.
Kind, a Democrat who represents Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, responded to Johnson's claims with incredulity, insisting that the Senator was either "lying" or "incompetent," WXOW 19 News reported.
"Listen, I've listened to Senator Johnson's denial and explanation for all this, and either he is lying, or he is the most incompetent member of Congress," Kind said. "That he would allow information to go to the vice president without his knowledge of what it was and the gravity of what it was."
Kind further alleged that Johnson might be lying about his knowledge to avoid serious charges that might bar him from holding elected office. He also called for an investigation into what Johnson knew.
"I can see why he's trying to wiggle out and deny his involvement," Kind added. "Because there is a federal law that would prohibit anyone holding office to seek re-election if they were directly involved in an insurrection, or an attempt to overthrow the government of the United States... This, I think, will have to be a matter for the Department of Justice to take a really hard look at, and decide whether to pursue these charges against Ron Johnson."
On Friday, Johnson summed up his alleged involvement in attempting to pass fake electors to Pence as a "two-minute role." He also spoke about the message he allegedly received about the situation on Thursday during an appearance on a conservative radio show, insisting that he only knew about a document vaguely related to "Wisconsin electors."
"It said 'Need to get a document on 'Wisconsin electors' to you and the VP immediately. Is there a staff person I can talk to immediately? Thanks, Jim,'" Johnson claimed. "So, again, need to get a document on Wisconsin electors."
Newsweek reached out to Johnson's office for comment.
Johnson's denial also made him the target of late night comedians, with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday referring to him as a "delivery boy."
"So he has no idea where it came from, no idea who gave it to them, no idea what it is, but he can't wait to hand-deliver them to the second-in-command," Colbert said. "It could have been anything in that envelope — he doesn't care. Fake electors, angry bees, naked pictures of Mary Todd Lincoln. It don't matter to Ron — he's just a delivery boy."
