Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

In Short

• 18 indicted for efforts to overturn Trump’s loss in 2020 US election
• Trump described in the indictment as an unindicted co-conspirator
• US Supreme Court to hear arguments on Trump’s bid to avoid federal prosecution

An Arizona grand jury has arrested former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and 16 others for attempting to use so-called fake electors to overturn Trump’s defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

The indictment, unsealed Wednesday, charges 11 Republicans who fraudulently claimed that Trump won Arizona in 2020, including the former state party chair, a 2022 US Senate candidate, and two sitting state lawmakers. They are accused with nine charges of conspiracy, fraud, and forgery. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

The identities of seven other defendants, including Giuliani and Meadows, were not immediately revealed because they had not yet been served with charges.

Trump, who is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment, has claimed that he cannot be charged for actions he took while president. The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Thursday in his plea to avoid criminal prosecution for attempting to overturn his loss.

With the indictments, Arizona becomes the fourth state where the former president’s aides have been charged with making false or unfounded claims about voter fraud in the election. Heading into a likely November rematch with Biden, Trump continues to spew lies about the previous election, which are supported by many of his supporters.

I will not let American democracy be undermined,” Democratic state Attorney General Kris Mayes stated in a video published by her office. “It’s too important.”

The Associated Press was able to identify the anonymous defendants based on the descriptions in the paper.

One is an attorney “who was often identified as the Mayor” and spreads bogus claims of election fraud, which perfectly describes Giuliani. Another is Trump’s “chief of staff in 2020,” which fits Meadows.

Other unnamed defendants include Mike Roman, Trump’s director of result Day operations; John Eastman, a lawyer who created a strategy to persuade Congress not to recognize the result; and Christina Bobb, a lawyer who worked with Giuliani. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

Eastman and Bobb did not respond to text messages requesting comment, and neither did a lawyer representing Roman in a Georgia case.

Meadows’ lawyer, George Terwilliger, said he hasn’t seen the indictment yet, but if Meadows is named, “it is a blatantly political and politicized accusation that will be contested and defeated. Ted Goodman, Giuliani’s political consultant, condemned what he called “the continued weaponization of our legal system. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

On December 14, 2020, the 11 Republican electors nominated for Arizona met in Phoenix to sign a certificate stating that they were “duly elected and qualified” electors and that Trump carried the state.

The Arizona Republican Party shared a one-minute video of the signing ceremony to social media at the time. The document was then given to Congress and the National Archives, but was disregarded. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

Biden won Arizona by over 10,000 votes. Of the eight lawsuits that failed to contest Biden’s victory in the state, one was filed by the 11 Republicans who would eventually sign the certificate pronouncing Trump the winner.

Their complaint requested a judge to decertify the Arizona election results that gave Biden his victory and prevent the state from presenting them to the Electoral College. US District Judge Diane Humetewa dismissed the complaint, stating that the Republicans lacked legal standing, waited too long to file the case, and “failed to provide the court with factual support for their extraordinary claims. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

Days after that lawsuit was dismissed, the 11 Republicans participated in the certificate signing. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

The Arizona charges come after a string of indictments against fake electors in other states.

In December, a Nevada grand jury indicted six Republicans on felony charges of offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument in connection with false election certificates. They have pleaded not guilty. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

Michigan’s Attorney General in July filed felony charges that included forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery against 16 Republican fake electors. One had charges dropped after reaching a cooperation deal, and the 15 remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Three bogus electors have also been accused in Georgia, along with Trump and others, in a broad indictment accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging plan to illegally reverse election results. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer amongy.

In Wisconsin, ten Republicans who posed as electors resolved a civil case, admitting that their acts were part of an attempt to reverse Biden’s victory. There are no known criminal investigations in Wisconsin. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

In August, Trump was also indicted in federal court for the alleged phony electors scam. According to the indictment, when Trump was unable to persuade state officials to illegally swing the election, he and his Republican allies began recruiting a slate of fake electors in battleground states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to sign certificates falsely stating that he, not Biden, had won their states.

In early January, New Mexico Attorney General Raºl Torrez stated that the state’s five Republican electors cannot face prosecution under current law. Fake electors in New Mexico and Pennsylvania appended a disclaimer stating that they submitted the election certificate in case they were later recognized as lawfully elected, qualified electors. There have been no charges brought in Pennsylvania. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

Mayes’ predecessor, Republican Mark Brnovich, investigated the 2020 election in Arizona, but the allegations about phony electors were not included, according to Mayes’ office.

Another election-related case brought by Mayes’ office involves two Republican officials in a remote Arizona county who face felony charges for delaying the canvassing of the 2022 general election results. In November, a grand jury charged Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby on one count of conspiracy and interfering with an election officer. Both pled not guilty.

The Republicans facing charges include Kelli Ward, the state GOP’s chair from 2019 to early 2023; state Sen. Jake Hoffman; Tyler Bowyer, an executive of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA who serves on the Republican National Committee; and state Sen. Anthony Kern, who was photographed in restricted areas outside the US Capitol in January. Donald Trump’s aide lawyer among

6 attack and is now a candidate in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District; Greg Safsten, a former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party; energy industry executive James Lamon, who lost a 2022 Republican primary for a US Senate seat; and Robert Montgomery, chairman of the Cochise County Republican Committee in 2020.

Samuel Moorhead, a Republican precinct committee member in Gila County; Nancy Cottle, the first vice president of the Arizona Federation of Republican Women in 2020; Loraine Pellegrino, former president of the Ahwatukee Republican Women; and Michael Ward, an osteopathic physician married to Kelli Ward.

In a statement, Hoffman accused Mayes of using the attorney general’s office to initiate the lawsuit, but did not directly address the indictment’s claims.

“Let me be unequivocal, I am innocent of any crime, I will vigorously defend myself, and I look forward to the day when I am vindicated of this naked political persecution by the judicial process,” he stated.

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