Topline
Former President Donald Trump was designated as a co-conspirator in the Michigan fake electors case, according to multiple outlets, though Trump has not been indicted in the probe, which charged 16 fake Republican electors from Michigan with attempting to subvert the 2020 presidential election in favor of the former president.
Trump was not indicted in the case. (Photo by Yuki Iwamura-Pool/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Trump was noted as a co-conspirator by Howard Shock, a special agent for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, during a hearing Wednesday, CNN reported.
Shock also named former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis as co-conspirators.
Shock has identified 11 co-conspirators in the case and though they have not been charged, the designation means prosecutors believe they participated in the fake electors scheme designed to convince Congress that Trump won Michigan's 16 electoral votes, according to The Detroit News.
Representatives for Giuliani didn’t immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung responded to the revelation by saying, in part, “The American People will not fall for the Biden-directed Witch-Hunts,” repeating the former president’s unfounded claims that his legal troubles are politically motivated.
Key Background
Nessel charged 16 false electors with election law and forgery felonies last year. The fake electors are alleged to have secretly met in the basement of the Michigan Republican Party headquarters after the 2020 election was called for President Joe Biden to sign their names on a certificate pretending to be qualified electors awarding Michigan’s electoral votes to Trump, even though Biden won the state. Convictions for the felonies carry sentences between five and 14 years. Lawyers for the defendants have argued their clients didn't understand what they were signing when they met at the headquarters and that Trump campaign advisers organized the false certificate, The Detroit News reported. Though Trump hasn’t been indicted in the case, he faces charges in Georgia accusing him of trying to overturn his election loss in the state and federal charges from Special Counsel Jack Smith accusing him of attempting to overturn the election. Trial dates have not yet been set for either case.
Further Reading
Michigan Charges Fake Electors Who Tried To Overturn 2020 Election (Forbes)
Trump Wants 2 Criminal Counts Tossed Out In Georgia Election Case (Forbes)
