Michigan's attorney general Dana Nessel has announced that more than a dozen Republican figures have been charged with felony offenses as part of a so-called "false electoral" scheme.
The allegations stem from claims that 16 GOP figures in the state plotted to wrongly declare that Donald Trump had beaten Joe Biden in Michigan in the 2020 Election by falsely claiming they were the official slate of electors.
This is the first time anyone has been charged over any "false electors" scheme, which is alleged to have taken place in states across the country in the wake of the last election as part of efforts to keep Trump in power.
Below, Newsweek has compiled the names of each Republican figure who is alleged to have been part of a team of fake electors in their respective state, and whether they are under investigation.
Michigan Alleged False Electors
On Tuesday, Nessel confirmed that 16 people, including Meshawn Maddock, a former co-chair of the Michigan Republican party, and Kathy Berden, a national committeewoman for the Republican National Committee have been charged with felony offenses in relation to the alleged 2020 election plot.
- Kathy Berden
- William (Hank) Choate
- Amy Facchinello
- Clifford Frost
- Stanley Grot
- John Haggard
- Mari-Ann Henry
- Timothy King
- Michele Lundgren
- Meshawn Maddock
- James Renner
- Mayra Rodriguez
- Rose Rook
- Marian Sheridan
- Ken Thompson
- Kent Vanderwood
Each defendant has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of forgery, one count of conspiracy to commit uttering and publishing, one count of uttering and publishing conspiracy to commit election law forgery, and two counts of election law forgery.
The suspects are scheduled to appear before Ingham County for arraignment at a date yet to be confirmed.
"The false electors' actions undermined the public's faith in the integrity of our elections and, we believe, also plainly violated the laws by which we administer our elections in Michigan," Nessel said.
"The evidence will demonstrate there was no legal authority for the false electors to purport to act as 'duly elected presidential electors' and execute the false electoral documents," Nessel added. "Every serious challenge to the election had been denied, dismissed, or otherwise rejected by the time the false electors convened. There was no legitimate legal avenue or plausible use of such a document or an alternative slate of electors."
Arizona Alleged Fake Electors
Days prior to the charges in Michigan getting announced, it was reported that Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes' office is investigating the false slate of electors who attempted to claim Trump had won the state in 2020.
Mayes has long suggested she will probe into those who attempted to falsely declare Trump had won the state's 11 electoral votes in 2020, but until now there were no real signs of any inquiry.
Dan Barr, Mayes's chief deputy, told The Washington Postthat the investigation is in the "fact-gathering" phase.
"This is something we're not going to go into thinking, 'Maybe we'll get a conviction,' or 'Maybe we have a pretty good chance,'" Barr said. "This has to be ironclad shut."
On 14 December, a group of Republicans, including Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward, and her husband Michael Ward, met to sign a document falsely declaring themselves the "duly elected and qualified electors" for the state and declared Trump the winner. Another group consisting of activists also signed a similar fake declaration.
The fake electors in Arizona include:
- Kelli Ward
- Michael Ward
- Nancy Cottle
- Loraine B. Pellegrino
- Tyler Bowyer
- Jake Hoffman
- Anthony T. Kern
- James Lamon
- Robert Montgomery
- Samuel I. Moorhead
- Greg Safsten
Georgia Alleged Fake Electors
In May, it was reported that eight of the 16 people who are under investigation over an alleged fake electoral plot in Georgia have been granted immunity.
The group of 16 Republicans met at Georgia's state capitol on December 14, 2020, to sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump had won the presidential election and declaring themselves the state's "duly elected and qualified" electors.
The immunity deal for the eight Republicans was disclosed in court filings, but no other details were revealed.
The full 16 names are:
- Joseph Brannan James
- "Ken" Carroll
- Vikki Townsend Consiglio
- Carolyn Hall Fisher
- State Senator Burt Jones
- Gloria Kay Godwin
- David G. Hanna
- Mark W. Hennessy
- Mark Amick
- John Downey
- Cathleen Alston Latham
- Daryl Moody
- Brad Carver
- David Shafer
- Shawn Still
- C.B. Yada
Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis' investigation into the fake electoral scheme is part of an expansive probe into the attempts to overturn the 2020 election in the state. A decision from Georgia prosecutors on whether to indict Trump and his allies is expected within the next few weeks.
Wisconsin Alleged Fake Electors
In May, Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington said that a lawsuit filed by Democrats against 10 fake electors in Wisconsin can go to civil trial in September 2024.
Among the names involved in the suit is:
- Andrew Hitt, the former chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin
- Kelly Ruh
- Carol Brunner
- Edward Scott Grabins
- Bill Feehan
- Robert Spindell
- Kathy Kiernan
- Darryl Carlson
- Pam Travis
- Mary Buestrin
Wisconsin congressman Mark Pocan previously wrote a letter to the Department of Justice requesting an investigation into the alleged plot.
Elsewhere, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco confirmed to CNN last January that federal prosecutors were looking into the "fraudulent elector certifications" in other states such as Michigan and New Mexico, but no charges have been brought forward.
New Mexico Alleged Fake Electors
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, previously told CNN he was "pleased" the DOJ is looking into allegations of fake electoral scheme in the state.
The alleged fake electors are:
- Jewll Powdrell
- Deborah W. Maestas
- Lupe Garcia
- Rosie Tripp
- Anissa Ford-Tinnin
Nevada Alleged Fake Electors
Democratic Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford also told CNN last January that "we welcome the Department of Justice's recent announcement that it is investigating the fake electors matter, and we look forward to providing any support we can in that endeavor."
The names of the six alleged fake electors are:
- Michael J. McDonald
- James DeGraffenreid
- Durward James Hindle
- Jesse Law
- Shawn Meehan
- Eileen Rice
Pennsylvania Alleged Fake Electors
Earlier in July, it was reported that Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt met Special Counsel Jack Smith's team as part of the attempts to overturn the last election, although it is unclear if the alleged fake electoral scheme was a line of questioning.
The group of false electors in the Keystone State are:
- Bill Bachenberg
- Lou Barletta
- Tom Carroll
- Ted Christian
- Chuck Coccodrilli [deceased]
- Bernadette Comfort
- Sam DeMarco III
- Marcela Diaz-Myers
- Christie DiEsposti
- Josephine Ferro
- Charlie Gerow
- Kevin Harley
- Leah Hoopes
- Ash Khare
- Andre McCoy
- Lisa Patton
- Pat Poprik
- Andy Reilly
- Suk Smith
- Calvin Tucker
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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