The case for investigating vote fraud allegations

 Mark Landsbaum:

This is the real difference between Donald Trump and the political establishment, whether Republican or Democrat. The esteemed “conservative” Wall Street Journal editorial board has called on Wisconsin authorities to ignore a preliminary investigation report by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman that found unethical and illegal acts that he says should prompt the state legislature to “take a hard look” at decertifying the 2020 election.

The Journal says Wisconsin should instead be practical and play it politically safe. In its editorial, the Journal urges Republicans to move on and concentrate on defeating incumbent Democrat Gov. Tom Evers rather than “chasing ghosts.”

For his part, Trump says if investigation is halted, perpetrators will be emboldened to cheat again in this year’s elections.

The “conservative” Journal finds itself arguing the Democrat party’s standard talking point: “Move on.” That preference reveals the extent of the swamp that voters chose Trump to drain in 2016. It’s a bipartisan cesspool and even conservative media champions are caught in the bog.

It’s also nothing new. Republicans have traditionally conformed to the “move on” mentality after every election. After his 1960 loss, Richard Nixon declined to pursue JFK’s obvious election chicanery.

Republicans may score points with voters by complaining about Democrats’ election and governing abuses. But when they must choose to actually do something about it or move on, they move on.
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As Trump put it: “Ignorance is not bliss. Sky high inflation, threats of World War III, and the invasion across our borders are a direct consequence of the stolen 2020 election. What happened in 2020 can never be allowed to happen again!”

As any honest judge, prosecutor, or cop will attest, when wrongdoers are permitted to get away with it, you can expect more wrongdoing. Republicans and ostensibly conservative newspaper pundits loathe facing that reality.

Rather than make the hard decision to pursue wrongdoers to prevent future wrongdoing, they choose instead to move on.

As a result, the nation will get more of what the swampish national political culture produced in 2020. Wisconsin’s Gableman concluded “that without full access to information, [investigators] are unable to provide robust conclusions.”

Or, as Trump puts it with his characteristic plain talk: “Voters know that unless we fix what happened in 2020, those who stole the 2020 election will try to do it again in 2022.”
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Do the investigation and let the chips fall where they may.  It is the best way to ensure honest elections and remove doubt about the ones that occur.