MADISON – A Racine County man who fraudulently requested absentee ballots to prove voter fraud is possible on Thursday compared his actions to those of the founders of the nation before a judge blocked him from talking to reporters again about his case.
Harry Wait, a leader of a Racine County-based group known as HOT Government that promotes false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, was charged last week with two counts of election fraud and two counts of unauthorized use of an individual’s personal identifying information for posing as Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Racine Mayor Cory Mason to request their ballots in order to show violations of the law are possible.
Before his first court appearance in Racine County on Thursday, Wait compared himself to founding fathers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
“My actions are in the spirit of organic law of this nation, upon which was founded taking action in civil disobedience,” he told reporters in a press conference. “I have acted in a similar manner as the founder of this nation acted. For that reason, I am certain my actions are indeed both lawful and under organic law of the nation.”
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Wait appeared before Racine County Judge Robert Repischak, who ordered both Wait and prosecutors not to talk to reporters about the case. Repischak also barred Wait from contacting Vos or Mason.
Former Republican candidate for governor Tim Ramthun, who also has promoted false theories about the 2020 election, sat in the courtroom to support Wait. Some supporters had shirts that read “Free Harry,” according to the Racine Journal Times. The judge told them to leave. A prayer circle was held beforehand.
Wait appeared without an attorney and said he did not wish to obtain legal representation, according to court records.
According to the criminal complaint, an investigator with the Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation alleges Wait requested eight ballots but all but two individuals gave him permission to do so.
The charges come two months after the state DOJ launched an investigation into the scheme to commit election crimes by Wait and others who believe former President Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election and fraudulently requested absentee ballots to prove voter fraud exists.
“I’m glad I did it. I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Wait told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Sept. 1 when he was charged.
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Contact Molly Beck at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.
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