Alone Among Wisconsin Dem. Candidates, Nelson had Requested Jan. 6 Commission Subpoena Ron Johnson
Appleton, Wis. - U.S. Senate candidate Tom Nelson called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the actions of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson after shocking new testimony that shines new light on Johnson’s role as “the ‘go-to’ guy for insurrection among the Trump plotters seeking to overturn the 2020 election.
The new testimony vindicated Nelson’s earlier calls for the January 6 Commission to subpoena Johnson. The Commission today released damning and shocking texts showing Johnson had requested to push false Wisconsin electors to overturn the presidential election. Nelson had submitted two letters to the January 6 Commission asking that they subpoena Johnson because Johnson “was singular as THE most vocal and prominent legislator promoting dangerous mistruths about the 2020 election in the days preceding the attack. His role has been overlooked at times due to attention given to other Senators such as Josh Hawley.”
Previously, Johnson had been shown to have “remotely attended” a meeting of plotters to overthrow the vote on the eve of January 6th. In December 2020, Johnson became the most vocal elected official to advance discredited theories of a “stolen election” via a bizarre Homeland Security hearing. Johnson had promised to vote not to certify the election - though abruptly changed course ONLY AFTER the bloodshed at the Capitol.
Nelson said:
“Today we are learning the full extent of how much Ron Johnson was the ‘go-to’ guy for insurrection among the Trump plotters and how he himself was prepared to subvert our democracy by overturning the will of Wisconsin voters and throwing the election to Donald Trump.
I had suspected he had a far bigger role than reported when I wrote my letter asking for him and his records to be subpoenaed by the Commission, but even today’s revelations go beyond anything I could have imagined for how far Ron Johnson would go to overturn our Wisconsin election result. Johnson should not only resign and be placed under oath, but all signs point to evidence of a crime that the U.S. Department of Justice is obligated to investigate.”
A copy of Nelson’s original letter is here and below
The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol
Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
January 6th, 2022
Re: Subpoena of records of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.
To the Honorable Select Committee Members:
I am Tom Nelson, Outagamie County (Wis.) Executive and a candidate for U.S. Senate.
Consistent with the purpose of the Select Committee “(t)o investigate and report upon the facts, circumstances, and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, a domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex,” I am writing to request that you subpoena U.S. Senator Ron Johnson for records and testimony relating to his efforts to delay and disrupt the results of the election; his contacts with any groups or individuals with ties to domestic terrorism before, during and after the attack; his coordination with the Trump White House advancing the disinformation campaign that led to the attack on the U.S. Capitol; and his continued and persistent advocacy of election disinformation.
This subpoena should include, but not be limited to, phone and text records; logs and
schedules; email records; and any other records relevant to his work seeking to undermine the peaceful transfer of power.
Sen. Johnson was singular as THE most vocal and prominent legislator promoting dangerous mistruths about the 2020 election in the days preceding the attack. His role has been overlooked at times due to attention given to other Senators such as Josh Hawley.
As a former member of the Senate majority, on Dec. 16, 2020, Sen. Johnson convened a subcommittee hearing that advanced some of the most spacious lies about the integrity of the election. He went on to vocally oppose the certification of the election results in advance of the January 6th attack, including infamous appearances on “Meet the Press” on the eve of the assault and again on Newsmax on January 4th. And even up to this day, he continues to advance blatant falsehoods about the horrors of that day.
I recognize it is highly unusual to subpoena any Member of Congress and to date, only Rep. Scott Perry has been subpoenaed. But, so, too, is it unusual for a United States Senator to attack the foundations of our democracy and to justify acts of domestic terrorism. Therefore, I urge the Select Committee to use your investigative powers to hold Sen. Johnson to the oath he swore to protect and defend our Constitutional democracy.
Respectfully,
Tom Nelson