A Wisconsin election denier is under fire for calling for a bloody "revolution" in a recent speech.
Republican Michael Gableman—a former Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice who led a fruitless attempt to overturn his state's 2020 election results—told a group of Republican supporters a "revolution" is needed to rectify the supposed wrongs of 2020.
But he decried the lack of will among his far-right compatriots to do what he thinks needs to be done—to "refresh" the "tree of liberty" with "the blood of patriots and tyrants."
See an excerpt of his speech below.
\u201cAt a recent election denier dinner, Wisconsin 2020 election auditor Michael Gableman appears to support a bloody revolution:\u201d— Lauren Windsor (@Lauren Windsor) 1663607898
The speech was given at a dinner hosted by the Republican Party of Outagamie County. In it, Gableman says he fears Democratic President Joe Biden's election means America may be at a breaking point.
He said:
"For the first time in my life I am beginning to wonder if America's best days are behind us..."
He then called for a revolution to turn the country around, chiding attendees for not having the guts to start one.
"Our comfort is holding us back from taking the action that is necessary."
"The greatest challenge of our poor in this country is not lack of food, it's obesity. It's a beautiful world."
"But it's that very comfort that is keeping us from what our founders knew to be the only way to keep an honest government, which is revolution."
And just in case it wasn't absolutely clear he didn't mean a nonviolent revolution, Gableman added:
"Thomas Jefferson said that the tree of liberty must be watered by the blood of revolution in every generation. I don't think that's going to happen."
Gableman led a fraud probe into the 2020 election in Wisconsin costing taxpayers $1 million.
It produced no evidence to call the 2020 results into question and led to his firing by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who called his probe "an embarrassment to the state."
On Twitter, many would seem to agree with Vos, finding Gableman's speech absurd.
\u201c@lawindsor ... and the crowd cheers.\u201d— Lauren Windsor (@Lauren Windsor) 1663607898
\u201c@MollyBeck Yeah, he's gonna be on the frontlines all right. Man probably gets winded crossing the street.\u201d— Molly Beck (@Molly Beck) 1663633162
\u201c@AJBayatpour @ProjectLincoln @lawindsor @michelsforgov All these \u201ctough guys\u201d speak of revolution. Are they going to be on the front lines, old, fat, out of shape marching? Or will they seek out others to carry out their wishes. Typical.\u201d— A.J. Bayatpour (@A.J. Bayatpour) 1663376634
\u201c@MollyBeck A grifter is gonna grift. How else do you think he\u2019s going to make money? I\u2019ll bet he\u2019s going to start asking for donations to help him with his \u201cinvestigations\u201d into election fraud.\u201d— Molly Beck (@Molly Beck) 1663633162
\u201c@lawindsor These people all want a revolution, but they are personal cowards so they are trying to convince other people to start it, fight it on their behalf and then go to jail for it if it fails.\u201d— Lauren Windsor (@Lauren Windsor) 1663607898
\u201c@MollyBeck @funder Grifter. Even made taxpayers pick up the tab on his meals - look at him. Poster Boy for Entitled White Guy.\u201d— Molly Beck (@Molly Beck) 1663633162
But others were sobered and shocked by the violent tenor of his rhetoric and warned others to take it seriously.
\u201cFormer WI Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who produced no evidence of 2020 election fraud in $1 million review in Wisconsin, says the country needs a revolution over the 2020 election\n\nThese people are dangerously delusional lunatics. Its scary. https://t.co/MxbO9EuOx2\u201d— Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost (@Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost) 1663607194
\u201c@SpiroAgnewGhost The\ud83d\udca7's of fascism are rising, leaving foundations below waterline.\nOur constitution rests on soluble soil, experiencing societal liquefaction.\nLoose sediments saturated in culture war animus, loosing shear strength from the pressure in cracks due to cyclic loading & void ratio.\u201d— Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost (@Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost) 1663607194
\u201c@lawindsor Isn't there anything that can be done to stop this? Or is the FBI just going to watch as they make plans and it unfolds?\u201d— Lauren Windsor (@Lauren Windsor) 1663607898
\u201c@AJBayatpour @TheRickWilson @lawindsor @michelsforgov Appleton is the home of the John Birch Society National Headquarters.\n\nSenator Joseph McCarthy, and Greta Van Susteren grew up there.\n\nI have no doubt the crowd was receptive.\u201d— A.J. Bayatpour (@A.J. Bayatpour) 1663376634
\u201c@SpiroAgnewGhost They just want to CONTROL people, RULE over people not Legislate. Fascism has come to our dooorstep. I put up my pinned tweet in 2018 warning everyone that this was gonna happen. I was told I was "over-reacting".\u201d— Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost (@Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost) 1663607194
As for election fraud, Gableman's latest professional endeavor is representing a man who admitted to committing election fraud.
\u201cAfter briefly talking with reporters, Michael Gableman wouldn't answer follow-up questions as to why he is now representing someone who has admitted to illegally requesting absentee ballots in someone else's name\u201d— Matt Smith (@Matt Smith) 1663617575
When asked why he was now defending election fraud, Gableman declined to answer.
