Wisconsin faux Trump elector says he was “completely” scared when he signed 2020 election docs

Former Wisconsin Republican Occasion Chair Andrew Hitt mentioned he was scared when he signed paperwork falsely claiming former President Trump received the state’s 2020 election, in response to an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” broadcast Sunday.

Why it issues: Wisconsin is certainly one of seven states the place particular counsel Jack Smith alleges Trump and his co-accused conspired to prepare a fraudulent slate of electors, and Hitt famous within the interview that the indictment says “a few of the electors had been tricked — that was us.”

Driving the information: After the Wisconsin Supreme Court docket in December 2020 rejected Trump’s lawsuit in search of to disqualify over 221,000 ballots in two Democratic counties, Hitt mentioned he met with 9 different Republican electors as a result of he was suggested the previous president’s marketing campaign would attraction to the U.S. Supreme Court docket.

What they’re saying: “We acquired particular recommendation from our attorneys that these paperwork had been meaningless until a court docket mentioned that they had which means,” Hitt advised CBS’s Anderson Cooper throughout the “60 Minutes” interview.

• “And if I did not do this [sign the documents], and the court docket did throw out these votes, it could have been solely my fault that Trump would not have received Wisconsin,” mentioned Hitt, who emphasised he was “completely” scared.
• Cooper requested if Hitt was fearful of Trump supporters in his state.
• “It was not a protected time. If my lawyer is correct, and the entire cause Trump loses Wisconsin is due to me, I’d be scared to loss of life,” mentioned Hitt, who famous he felt “horrible” about what occurred.

Zoom out: The opposite Wisconsin Republican electors settled a civil lawsuit over the matter final December and acknowledged that President Biden received Wisconsin. Not one of the Wisconsin electors has been charged with any offense.

Of observe: Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential main frontrunner, faces 4 indictments and has pleaded not responsible in every case.

• Representatives for Trump didn’t instantly reply to Axios’ request for remark.

Flashback: Jan. 6 panel subpoenas “alternate” Trump electors