"[9][10][11] Brandtjen remained a steadfast supporter of Trump's fraud claims and made several attempts to use her position as chair of the Assembly committee on campaigns and elections to further election-skeptic initiatives, like the year-long investigation by former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Michael Gableman, which ultimately turned up no evidence of fraud.
[13] On December 6, 2022, Brandtjen announced that she was running in the special election for the 8th state senate district after incumbent Alberta Darling resigned.
Brandtjen decided to run for a sixth term in the new Assembly district, but faced a competitive primary rematch against Dan Knodl, who was leaving his recently-won state Senate seat due to redistricting.
The alleged violations involve a scheme to funnel donations through three Wisconsin county Republican parties, which would then transfer the funds to Steen's campaign.
The referral points to Brandtjen as a central figure in the scheme, facilitating the donations from Save America to the three complicit county parties.
[19] Ultimately, the Waukesha County district attorney declined to pursue charges against Brandtjen, saying that tapes of conversations about the scheme were likely inadmissible at trial.