First off, I apologize but this article is behind a pay wall at JSOnline, the website of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil’s committee tasked with election oversight hires an ex-Trump campaign aide tied to the fake elector scheme. I will try to make sure I have ‘quoted’ the relevant bits and pieces.
After reading the first paragraph, I originally wasn’t going to write about this. I figured those who cared wouldn’t be surprised and those who didn’t care were his base and would actually applaud his decisions or lack thereof. But as I got deeper into this thing, it became readily apparent that Rep. Steil is as willing and able to lie about his intents and actions as any other wanna be despot in the Republican party. So here is the first graph:
WASHINGTON – A House committee led by U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil hired a former Trump campaign staffer reportedly involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Arizona — a move Steil defended this week as not relevant to the panel’s focus on boosting the public’s trust in elections.
Well of course this is no biggie, nothing to see here, no hypocrisy whatsoever, no issues with optics or values…as Rep. Steil clearly points out…minor official:
Steil, who chairs the House Administration Committee, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Thomas Lane is a “junior staffer” working on the committee’s election team. Lane joined the committee in February as elections counsel and director of election coalitions with a $155,000 salary, according to committee records.
Lane previously worked for former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign in Arizona and New Mexico from late 2020 to January 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile. He appeared to be at a December 2020 meeting where 11 Arizona Republicans falsely declared themselves presidential electors and was subpoenaed last year by federal agents investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
emphasis mine
Interesting that an insurrectionist and traitor can get on the government dole for $155,000 a year…aina? Pretty good dough for a junior staffer. I mean Rep. Steil ‘only’ makes $174,000. ??
and?
“The election integrity efforts that we’re working on is making it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” Steil said in a brief interview Tuesday. “What he did for a previous employer I don’t think is terribly relevant when he was in his young 20s.”
“He’s come on board and is assisting in us moving forward our agenda of key voter integrity laws,” Steil said. “As a junior staffer on the team, I don’t think it’s terribly relevant.”
and?
News of Lane’s involvement with the committee, first reported by Politico, comes as Steil’s panel has put a heightened focus on voter integrity efforts and a push by Steil to “strengthen Americans’ trust in our elections.”
But here is where Rep. Steil’s prevarication gets more interesting and just a little deeper in the muck:
Steil on Tuesday repeatedly called Lane a “junior staffer” and said he is not general counsel for the House committee. Steil said he was not involved in hiring every junior staff member and said he is mainly involved with senior staff.
emphasis mine
So who does hire junior staffers? And the committee chair has no input? Doesn’t conduct any type of interview themselves? I find that very very hard to believe.
But then he essentially does a 180 and says:
“I’m running the committee, so it’s going to be under my direction how these bills move forward,” said Steil, who voted to certify the 2020 election for Biden.
emphasis mineSo Rep. Steil, are you in charge or not? Are you staffing up or not? I mean, YOU are running the committee. And your positions and statements here provide me with little trust or confidence in your sincerity to provide safe and fair elections…none!
And Wisconsin sends one more Republican embarrassment to Washington after another…sigh.
Recent Comments