VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> LAST AUGUST, REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY SPEAKER FIRED MICHAEL GABLEMAN, A FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, FROM HIS JOB AS SPECIAL COUNSEL I INVESTIGATING OF THE 2020 ELECTION.

HIS WORK HAS RISEN TO NEARLY $2.5 MILLION INCLUDING COURT COSTS ARISING FROM LAWSUITS OVER PUBLIC RECORDS FROM THE PROBE AND NOW ATTORNEYS AT LAW FORWARD HAVE FILED A 108-PAGE COMPLAINT WITH THE OFFICE OF LAWYER REGULATIONS SAYING GABLEMAN VIOLATED SUPREME COURT RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT DURING HIS ELECTION INVESTIGATION.

ATTORNEY JEFF MANDEL FILED THE COMPLAINT.

THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> SO MICHAEL GABLEMAN WAS FIRED, AS WE JUST SAID, AND CALLED AN EMBARRASSMENT BY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS.

ISN'T THAT ENOUGH?

WHY FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST HIM NOW?

>> WELL, THE GOAL HERE IS NOT TO PILE ON.

THE GOAL IS NOT TO EMBARRASS MR.

BUT IF WE HAVE A RULE OF LAW, IF WE HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE EVERYONE PLAYS BY THE SAME RULES, THOSE RULES NEED TO BE ENFORCED.

THE COMPLAINT IS AS LONG AS IT IS BECAUSE MR. GABLEMAN BROKE SO MANY RULES OF ETHICAL CONDUCT.

IT WAS QUITE A TASK TO CATALOG THEM ALL.

>> SO YOU -- YOUR COMPLAINT ALLEGES IN DETAIL HOW GABLEMAN VIOLATED PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT FOR AN ATTORNEY, STARTING WITH HIS COMPETENCY.

HE'S CERTAINLY HELD HIGH OFFICE AS A FORMER JUSTICE AND D.A.

WHY DO YOU SAY HE WAS INCOMPETENT HERE?

>> WELL, FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.

FIRST, AN ATTORNEY CAN BE HIGHLY COMPETENT AT ONE THING AND NOT COMPETENT AT SOME OTHER AREA OF THE LAW, AND THE ETHICAL RULES REQUIRE ATTORNEYS TO BE MINDFUL AND SELF-CONSCIOUS OF THIS AND TO ACCEPT THOSE REPRESENTATIONS THAT THEY ARE PREPARED TO CARRY OUT.

MR. GABLEMAN, AFTER ACCEPTING HIS CHARGE AS SPECIAL COUNSEL, PUBLICLY STATED THAT HE KNEW ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT ELECTION LAW.

SO THAT IN ITSELF IS SAY COMPETENCE ISSUE.

NOW, AN ATTORNEY MAY TAKE ON SOMETHING WHERE THEY NEED TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

WE'RE ALL CAPABLE OF LEARNING NEW THINGS, BUT MR. GABLEMAN THEN DID NOT UNDERTAKE THE KINDS OF STEPS THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

YOU DON'T GET TO CHARGE THE TAXPAYERS OR THE STATE OR YOUR CLIENT FOR LEARNING THESE NEW THINGS AND YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO DO IT.

MR. GABLEMAN SPENT THE FIRST SEVERAL WEEKS OF HIS JOB TRYING TO LEARN THESE THINGS AT A PUBLIC COMPUTER TERMINAL, AT THE NEW BERLIN PUBLIC LIBRARY.

EVEN AS HE TOLD THE PUBLIC THAT HIS INVESTIGATION WAS GOING TO BE HIGHLY SECURE AND SECRETIVE AND HE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING.

HE WAS DOING THIS ALL AT A PUBLIC COMPUTER TERMINAL AND HE WAS NOT LEARNING ELECTION LAW IN THE WAY YOU WOULD EXPECT A DILIGENT ATTORNEY TO DO BUT INSTEAD WAS CONSULTING WITH CONSPIRACY THEORISTS AND FRINGE ACTORS TO BRING HIMSELF UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST CRAZY THEORIES.

>> YOU ALSO SAY THAT HE CAUSED MALICIOUS INJURY TO THOSE LIKE THE MAYORS THAT HE SUBPOENAED AS PART OF HIS INVESTIGATION.

HOW SO?

>> WELL, HE ASKED A JUDGE IN WAUKESHA COUNTY TO THROW THE MAYORS OF GREEN BAY AND MADISON úIN JAIL AND HE DID SO ON ENTIRELY FALSE PRETENSES, THAT HE KNEW WERE FALSE, AND HE DID SO ALSO ASKING THE JUDGE TO DO IT WITHOUT EVEN HEARING FROM THE DEFENDANTS OR LETTING THOSE MAYORS KNOW THAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO IT.

SO HE MISREPRESENTED THE FACTS IN THE LAW, TRIED TO HIDE WHAT HE WAS DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WOULDN'T GET THEIR DAY IN COURT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.

IT WAS ENTIRELY MALICIOUS, AND WHEN WE POINTED THOSE FAULTS OUT, AT NO POINT DID MR. GABLEMAN OR ANY OF THE ATTORNEYS WORKING WITH HIM ATTEMPT TO FIX THAT OR CORRECT THE RECORD.

THEY WERE DELIBERATELY LYING ABOUT THESE PUBLIC OFFICIALS.

>> HAVE ATTORNEYS INVOLVED IN TRYING TO UNDO THE RESULTS OF THE 2020 ELECTION FACED PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT DISCIPLINE IN THIS WAY?

>> QUITE A FEW HAVE.

MAYOR GIULIANI HAS BEEN SANCTIONED AND A LAWYER HERE IN WISCONSIN, ERIC CARDOLL, WHO WAS TIED INTO MR. GABLEMAN'S INVESTIGATION, THOUGH HE WAS NOT OFFICIALLY WORKING FOR THE STATE.

MR. GABLEMAN WAS SHARING INFORMATION AND SHARING OFFICE SPACE WITH HIM IN WAYS THAT ARE THEMSELVES ETHICALLY PROBLEMATIC.

HEBREHE HAS BEEN REFERRED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. BECAUSE A CASE HE FILED HAS BEEN SO BASELESS.

>> WHY, IN YOUR MIND, IS IT IMPORTANT TO FILE THESE KINDS OF THINGS?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE COURTS AND WE USE OUR LAWS TO RESOLVE SERIOUS DISPUTES, AND THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING, BUT WHEN PEOPLE BREAK THE BASIC RULES AND THEY BRING CASES THAT ARE FRIVOLOUS AND THAT THEY KNOW ARE FRIVOLOUS WHEN THEY'RE SEEKING TO ADVANCE A PURELY POLITICAL AGENDA THAT HAS NO BASIS IN LAW, WE HAVE TO UPHOLD THE RULES AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN'T DO IT.

OTHERWISE, WE WILL DEVOLVE INTO CHAOS.

>> WHAT OUTCOME WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FOR MICHAEL GABLEMAN HERE?

>> I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE OFFICE OF LAWYER REGULATION TAKE A REALLY CAREFUL AND THOROUGH LOOK AT THIS.

IT IS REALLY NOT FOR US TO SAY WHAT THE ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT SHOULD BE.

THAT'S FOR THE SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN TO DECIDE.

THEY'RE THE ONES WHO PATROL THE BAR AT THE END OF THE DAY.

THEY'RE THE COPS ON THE BEAT FOR THIS.

BUT MY HOPE IS THAT THE OFFICE OF LAWYER REGULATION WILL THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATE THIS AND GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS AND TREAT MR. GABLEMAN THE SAME WAY THEY WOULD TREAT ANY OTHER LAWYER IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.

>> AND SO IT DOESN'T CONSTITUTE ANY KIND OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST GIVING THAT HE WAS A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE GIVEN IT IS AN ARM OF THE SUPREME COURT?

>> REST OF THE SUPREME COURT DID DEAL WITH.

IT'S COMPLICATED AND MAYBE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT IT'S PART OF THEIR JOB.

>> JEFFREY MANDEL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> 9:00 GABLEMAN IS NOW SENIOR COUNSEL AT THE THOMAS MOORE SOCIETY, A CONSERVATIVE PUBLIC INTEREST LAW FIRM BASED IN CHICAGO.

FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT