MILWAUKEE (AP) — The attorney for a former Milwaukee elections official charged with fraudulently ordering three military absentee ballots under fake names and sending them to a Republican lawmaker who embraced election conspiracy theories argued Monday in opening statements that she was a whistleblower and not a criminal. Kimberly Zapata, the former deputy director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, is on trial for misconduct in public office, a felony, and three misdemeanor counts of making a false statement to obtain an absentee ballot. In Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Zapata's defense attorney Daniel Adams told the jury that she committed no crime, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Milwaukee, home to the largest number of Democrats in Wisconsin, has been a target for complaints from Trump and his backers. Brandtjen has advocated for decertifying Biden’s 2020 win in Wisconsin for the past two years and has espoused conspiracy theories supporting her position.

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Persons: Kimberly Zapata, Daniel Adams, Adams, Zapata, ”, Matthew Westphal, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Trump, Janel, Brandtjen, decertifying, ” Zapata, Robin Vos Organizations: MILWAUKEE, Republican, Milwaukee Election, Circuit, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin’s, Brandtjen, Trump, GOP, Journal Sentinel Locations: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, MyVote Wisconsin, Menomonee Falls