High-ranking agents in the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) want to launch a statewide probe of vote fraud in nursing homes, multiple sources tell "The Dan O'Donnell Show." Attorney General Josh Kaul has thus far refused, saying it is "not an issue of statewide concern."
"Without a doubt agents at DCI are more than willing to work election fraud investigations," said one source. "We already have agents working on elder abuse cases and I think you can make a good argument that this constitutes an abuse of the elderly."
Last week, the Racine County Sheriff's Office announced the results of a months-long probe into possible stolen votes at a nursing home in Mount Pleasant. Investigators said state law makes clear that the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) committed a felony by instructing nursing home staffers to assist (and in some cases vote for) residents.
It is unlawful for residents to serve as special voting deputies, who are poll workers authorized by city clerks to assist nursing home residents cast their ballots. Under state law, special voting deputies and residents' family members are the only people allowed to aid residents in voting at nursing homes.
After Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a public health emergency over the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, WEC asked Evers to suspend the law requiring special voting deputies. Evers' office refused, and later that day WEC sent a memo advising local election authorities to have nursing home staff members conduct voting for the upcoming Spring Primary. In July, WEC extended this guidance to the presidential election in November.
Racine investigators presented their findings to Kaul's office in May, sources tell "The Dan O'Donnell Show," but Kaul refused to read their report and assistant attorneys general declined to meet with them, telling them that fraud in nursing homes was not an issue of statewide concern.
"The Dan O'Donnell Show" has reported extensively on the issue since last November, discovering instances of probably vote theft at nursing homes in the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee suburbs, Waukesha County, and Central Wisconsin.
"This is something DOJ should be investigating," said a law enforcement source. "It is absolutely an issue of statewide concern."