MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson this week asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate allegations by a former lawyer for President Donald Trump in Wisconsin that the judge overseeing his felony cases acted inappropriately and must step down.
A judge on Tuesday declined to hear the case of Trump’s former campaign lawyer and two others who face felony forgery charges related to the 2020 election.
Trump’s former lawyer, former Judge Jim Troupis, claims that the Wisconsin judge overseeing his felony case did not write an August order refusing to dismiss the charges. Troupis claimed that Judge John Hyland received help in writing the order from a retired judge whose son worked for Hyland.
Hyland refuted the accusations and refused to withdraw or cancel Monday’s preliminary hearing as requested by Troupis.
Hyland said he and his legal assistant wrote the order alone.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi on Thursday, Johnson asked the Justice Department to review the allegations brought by Troupis’ attorney, Joe Boone.
“It is difficult to understand how Judge Hyland could render an impartial decision on the charges against Mr. Boone when he is directly implicated,” Johnson wrote in the letter.
Johnson said Troupis was the victim of “blatant political bias.”
Johnson has known Troupis for many years. In 2022, Johnson’s campaign hired Troupis’ law firm to provide legal advice and prepare for a possible recount in the Republican re-election bid.
Troupis said in a statement that it was “long overdue” for the Department of Justice to put an end to its “clear witch hunt.”
A Justice Department spokesman confirmed receipt of the request but declined to comment.
Troupis argued in the motion that retired Judge Frank Remington had “personal hostility” toward Troupis from their time as judges together. Troupis called for all Dane County judges to step down and for an evidentiary hearing to be held in another county’s courthouse.
Remington told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Thursday that he had never spoken about the case with his son or Hyland and had not written or helped write any decisions issued on the case. Remington told the newspaper he was surprised Troupis thought there was bad blood between them. Troupis served as a Dane County judge from 2015 to 2016.
Remington is also presiding over a separate lawsuit seeking damages against Troupis and others in a false 2020 election scheme. Everyone who sued in that case settled.
Wisconsin’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul last year filed 11 felony charges against Troupis and two others for their roles in the 2020 election-sham scheme. In addition to Troupis, the other two people charged are Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer who advised the Trump campaign, and Mike Roman, Trump’s director of Election Day 2020 operations.
The charges allege that the three defrauded 10 Wisconsin Republican electors who voted for Trump in 2020.
Prosecutors say the three lied to Republicans that the certificates they signed would be used as part of a plan to submit documents to then-Vice President Mike Pence, falsely claiming that Trump won battleground states that year.
Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020 but fought to overturn the defeat. He won the state in both 2016 and 2024.
Trump associates argue no crime occurred.
In September, a judge dismissed a similar case in Michigan. Last year, a special prosecutor dropped a federal case accusing Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. Prosecutors dropped a Georgia election interference case earlier last month and there is another similar case in Nevada.