Wisconsin governor: Trump election lawsuit an ‘assault on democracy’

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) criticized President Trump’s latest lawsuit seeking to overturn the state’s election results as an “assault on democracy.” 

The Trump campaign filed a new lawsuit in the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday focusing on about 221,000 ballots cast in Milwaukee and Dane counties, two Democratic-heavy areas that were also previously targeted by the president. 

In court filings late Tuesday, attorneys for Evers are asking for the case to be dismissed, according to WBAY, arguing that it should start in lower courts. 

“President Trump’s petition seeks nothing less than to overturn the will of nearly 3.3 million Wisconsin voters,” according to the filing published by WBAY. “It is a shocking and outrageous assault on our democracy.” 

“By focusing on alleged technical violations in only two counties, he has made plain that his intent is not to fairly determine who Wisconsinites voted for to lead our country,” the governor’s attorneys continued. “He is simply trying to seize Wisconsin’s electoral votes, even though he lost the statewide election.” 

The suit was filed after Wisconsin formally declared President-elect Joe Biden the winner of the state’s election following a partial recount. The former vice president won the state by roughly 20,700 votes. 

The plaintiffs sought to block the certification until the ballots they deem “illegal and invalid” are tossed. The ballots in question include absentee ones that the campaign says were improperly issued, counted or cast. 

The suit also claimed that Evers made “an illegal attempt to certify the election” prior to the “closing of the post-recount appeal deadline.” 

The Democratic National Committee and Wisconsin Biden Electors filed to intervene Wednesday, according to WBAY, saying they had “compelling interests at stake.” 

Even if Trump is successful in reversing the results in Wisconsin, he still would not have enough Electoral College votes to secure a second term in the White House. 

Trump won the state by a narrow margin in 2016.