Trump-loving sheriff calls for arrest of five Wisconsin elections commissioners

One week after his "extensive investigation" into alleged voter fraud ended with a whimper, a Trump-loving Wisconsin sheriff is calling for the arrest of five members of the state's Elections Commission.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling is recommending felony charges against three Democrats and two Republicans "because they told clerks to bypass state law during the coronavirus pandemic and send absentee ballots to nursing homes instead of first visiting in person," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday.

"Based upon the failure of Attorney General Josh Kaul to initiate a statewide investigation, I have forwarded charging recommendations to the Racine County District Attorney's Office for their review," Schmaling wrote on the sheriff's department's Facebook page.

Kaul, a Democrat, blasted Schmaling's announcement, calling it "a disgraceful publicity stunt" and "an abuse of authority," the Journal Sentinel reports.

"Schmaling is not recommending charges against staff of the Ridgewood Care Center or the local election clerks who oversaw absentee voting at the nursing home, which the sheriff alleges was handled improperly for eight voters," according to the newspaper.

Republican Dean Knudson, a Trump supporter who is among the five elections commissioners targeted by Schmaling, said he believes the sheriff is looking for a scapegoat.

"Everything we did was an open, public discussion. And we listened to all sides and all the information and we gave our guidance," Knudson said. "Certain public figures in Wisconsin are under intense pressure to find someone to be the fall guy for Trump's loss in 2020 in Wisconsin."