‘Does not seem like an accident’
Vos accuses paralyzed Democratic lawmaker Jimmy Anderson of trying to sabotage his new national role.
MADISON – Assembly Speaker Robin Vos accused a paralyzed Democratic lawmaker of trying to sabotage a new national role for the Republican legislative leader by publicly seeking accommodations for his disability.
“(This) does not seem like an accident to me,” Vos told a conservative radio show host Thursday. “Everything they do is political and trying to make the other side look bad.”
Vos, of Rochester, earlier this year rejected Democratic Rep. Jimmy Anderson’s request to be able to call into legislative meetings he cannot attend because of his disability and to bar overnight floor sessions, which Anderson cannot participate in fully for the same reason.
Vos told WISN’s Jay Weber he believes the timing of Anderson’s public appeal, which included speaking to a Journal Sentinel reporter, was meant to undermine the announcement of Vos taking over as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
But Democratic legislative leaders made the request in February and Anderson reached out to a Journal Sentinel reporter in May.
Vos took over the new role earlier this month, 10 days after the story was published.
“I didn’t know he was going to be named president of the NCSL until after the story had come out,” Anderson said.
“The idea that I would somehow sit and wait to make Robin Vos look bad — he’s doing that all by himself. I asked for these accommodations months and months ago.”
Anderson also noted that few people in the broader public know about the organization Vos is leading.
But Vos said Thursday he believes Anderson’s request is meant to “throw sand in the gears” of the Legislature to slow passage of Republican legislation, like the bills passed in December during a 24-hour floor session to shift power away from Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul.
He said he will meet with Republican members of the Assembly to discuss whether to provide more accommodations for Anderson beyond what has already been made, which includes a modified desk in the Assembly chamber and purchasing a computer with voice recognition software.
“We will make accommodations and there will be no news coverage of it because it’s all about making Republicans look bad,” Vos claimed inaccurately. “That is full-time fodder for the Journal Sentinel and the State Journal and all of the left-wing media that’s around the state of Wisconsin.”
Vos told the Journal Sentinel he was unwilling to change the rule that requires representatives to show up at committee meetings in person because it’s “disrespectful.”