Trump’s Alternate Electors Indicted in Arizona, Trump Listed as Unindicted Co-Conspirator

On Wednesday, a state grand jury in Arizona indicted Trump 2020 alternate electors, GOP state legislators, former Arizona GOP chairwoman Kelli Ward, and additional individuals.

The indictment was announced by Arizona’s Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes, who defended the timing of the charges amid accusations of a politically motivated “witch hunt.”

This move is seen as a preemptive warning to anyone considering challenging the 2024 general election.

“We conducted a thorough and professional investigation over the past 13 months into the fake electors scheme in our state,” Arizona’s Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a video announcing the charges. “I understand for some of you today didn’t come fast enough. And I know I’ll be criticized by others for conducting this investigation at all. But as I’ve stated before, and we’ll say here again, today, I will not allow American democracy to be undermined.”

WATCH:

Last year, Kris Mayes acknowledged that she was looking into the alternate electors for Trump’s 2020 campaign from Arizona.

In a questionable tactic, despite knowing that the electors intended to invoke their Fifth Amendment rights, Mayes compelled them to testify before a grand jury.

This decision was deemed highly unconventional and fraught with risks.

The Fifth Amendment grants individuals the right to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination.

By forcing the Pro-Trump electors to plead the Fifth before a grand jury, Democratic prosecutors could potentially bias the jurors unnecessarily.

While the Fifth Amendment does not imply guilt, grand jurors may infer guilt from the pro-Trump alternate electors. On Wednesday, a state grand jury indicted 11 Trump alternate electors, as well as state legislators, GOP activists, and others.

The names of Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, and Michael Roman were possibly included in the indictment but were redacted.

President Trump was referred to as “Unindicted Coconspirator-1” in the indictment due to a phone call he made to former governor Doug Ducey regarding ballot counting.

Excerpt from NBC News:

A state grand jury in Arizona on Wednesday indicted so-called “fake electors” who backed then-President Donald Trump in 2020, following a sprawling investigation into the alleged efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s win in the presidential election in the state.

Among those charged is Kelli Ward, who served as chair of the Arizona GOP during the 2020 election and the immediate aftermath. She tweeted on Jan. 6, 2021, after the attack on the U.S. Capitol: “Congress is adjourned. Send the elector choice back to the legislatures.” Ward was a consistent propagator of false claims that Arizona’s election results were rigged.

Others charged include: state legislators Anthony Kern and Jake Hoffman; Michael Ward, Kelli Ward’s husband; Tyler Bowyer, the Republican National Committee’s Arizona committeeman and the chief operating officer of the Trump-aligned Turning Point USA; Greg Safsten, the former Arizona GOP executive director; former U.S. Senate candidate Jim Lamon; Robert Montgomery, the former head of the Cochise County GOP; and Republican Party activists Samuel Moorhead, Nancy Cottle and Loraine Pellegrino.

The indictment lists Trump as “Unindicted Coconspirator 1.” It also includes redacted names of other people who have been charged in the case but have not yet been served.

When Democrats appoint alternate electors, it’s known as ‘dueling electors,’ while Republicans’ alternate electors are labeled as ‘fake electors,’ leading to indictments by Democratic attorneys general.

This trend extends to other states, with Democrat prosecutors pursuing Trump’s alternate electors. In Michigan, Democrat Attorney General Dana Nessel charged 16 ‘Trump electors’ for their actions in the 2020 election.

Similarly, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indicted three of Trump’s alternate electors in Georgia as part of a RICO and conspiracy case against the former president.

ICYMI: Judge Merchan May Send Trump to Jail for up to 30 Days Over Gag Order