Speaker Robin Vos is feeling good about the state of the Assembly Republican caucus — mostly.
“Look, we have one bad actor in our caucus. One out of 64 is pretty damn good. We have some others who don't quite get the whole program, but they're moving along. And I think we have the vast majority of people who are united and know that we're in the right place, we're fighting for the right cause, and we're working as hard as we can,” Vos said. “So I choose to focus on the positive, and that is the fact that we have great people.”
But he didn’t mince words about that “one bad actor.”
The Rochester Republican recently stripped Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, of her post leading the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections after she spent her time in the position promoting election deniers and supporting an illegal effort to decertify the 2020 presidential election. She also joined former President Donald Trump in actively supporting Vos’ primary opponent, election denier Adam Steen.
Now Brandtjen is one of several Republicans (and one Democrat) running for a Senate seat in the 8th District, vacated by the retirement of Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills.
Asked during a recent interview if he believes Brandtjen is fit to serve in that office, Vos gave a firm response: “I don’t. I would never vote for Janel Brandtjen.”
It’s not just the speaker who has a problem with the representative, though. Last month, Assembly Republicans voted to bar Brandtjen from their closed caucus meetings.
“The continual issues from the past have led our caucus to lose trust in you. For this reason, this vote was taken,” read a letter from caucus chair Rep. Rob Summerfield, R-Bloomer.
Vos said that’s the first instance he can find of Assembly Republicans voting to tell a member they’re not welcome in the caucus.
“Think of how bad you have to be to go to that extreme, for people who are from all across the state to have that happen,” Vos said. “She decided these things for herself, right? She decided to focus entirely on the past, to take it out on those of us in the caucus, and tried to do things that were clearly not just outside the norm, but outside the law. We can’t undo an election. It’s unconstitutional.”
For her part, Brandtjen said in a statement released last week that it was “no surprise” Vos removed her from the post.
“Vos is not only known for his vindictive nature, but he also seems to have a vested interest in sweeping election concerns under the rug,” Brandtjen said. “In the end, Vos and his so-called leadership team can take away my committee assignments and my staff, but they cannot silence my voice; the voice that my constituents and all Wisconsinites deserve when it comes to fair and accurate elections.”
Although he removed her from committee leadership, Vos did appoint Brandtjen to two committees: Government Accountability and Oversight, and Corrections.
“She still represents a district. She still has 60,000 constituents that she has to report to. Look, I think Rep. Brandtjen is a — she’s a bad actor,” Vos said after a long pause.
The speaker noted Brandtjen had lost the confidence of her colleagues for a “long litany” of reasons.
“But you know, she still is here. She's still got an office in the Capitol — the most beautiful building in the state. She's still elected by the taxpayers. She's still on committees,” Vos said. “She still has a chance to make a difference. She also has a chance to not. That's her choice.”
