LANSING, Mich. Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel, a Democrat, filed felony charges on Tuesday against 16 Republicans who acted as fake electors for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. They are accused of submitting false certificates that falsely confirmed they were legitimate electors despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
All 16 individuals will face eight criminal charges, including forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery. The top charges carry a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Among those charged are Kathy Berden, the head of the Republican National Committee’s Michigan chapter, Meshawn Maddock, former co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, and Stan Grot, Shelby Township Clerk.
In seven battleground states, including Michigan, Trump supporters signed certificates falsely stating that Trump had won their states, not Biden. While these fake certificates were ultimately disregarded, the attempt has come under investigation, including by the House committee investigating the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
In a statement, Attorney General Nessel said, “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.”
The 16 individuals are scheduled to appear for arraignment in Ingham County on dates provided to them by the court, as stated by Nessel’s office. As of now, several of the charged individuals have not yet responded to requests for comment.
One of those charged, 82-year-old John Haggard from Charlevoix, told The Detroit News that he didn’t believe he had done anything wrong.
GOP state Senator Ed McBroom, who chaired a GOP-led Senate panel investigating Michigan’s 2020 presidential election and found no evidence of wrongdoing, said he had spoken with one of the fake electors and it was evident that the effort was organized by individuals who positioned themselves as authorities and misled others.
Apart from Michigan, false Electoral College certificates were also submitted for Arizona, Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, with investigations ongoing in some of those states.
Georgia’s prosecutor investigating potential illegal interference in the 2020 election has reached immunity deals with at least eight fake electors. Arizona’s Democratic attorney general is in the early stages of a probe, while Nevada’s attorney general, also a Democrat, stated no charges would be brought. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has no active investigation, and the attorney general has deferred to the U.S. Justice Department.
However, there is no apparent investigation in Pennsylvania, where former Attorney General Josh Shapiro, now governor, stated he didn’t believe there was sufficient evidence to meet the legal standards for forgery regarding the actions of fake electors.
In Michigan, besides the charges against the 16 fake electors, a group of other Trump allies, including former GOP attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno, are facing potential criminal charges related to their attempts to gain access to voting machines after the 2020 election.
According to documents released last year by Nessel’s office, five vote tabulators were taken from Roscommon and Missaukee counties in northern Michigan, as well as Barry County in the western part of the state. These tabulators were subsequently broken into, and “tests” were performed on the equipment.
A grand jury was convened in March, upon the request of a special prosecutor, D.J. Hilson, to consider indictments. In May, Hilson wrote in a court document that “a charging decision is ready to be made.”
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
