Republican efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election were multifaceted, but among the striking partisan tactics was the fake voter scheme: Republican Party officials and operatives in key states created falsified election materials and sent the documents to, among other things, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Archivist, as if the documents were legitimate. They were not.
Although those involved didn’t know it at the time, the controversy became one of the most significant political scandals in a generation, racking up indictments not seen since Watergate and Iran-Contra.
Take for example this week’s developments.
Last fall, Arizona Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes told CNN that his office was overseeing a “thorough” investigation related to allegations of criminal misconduct in the fake voter scheme. Clearly, she wasn’t kidding: NBC News reported on his desk filing a series of new criminal charges in the case, including conspiracy, fraud and forgery.
The former president is described as “unindicted co-conspirator #1” in the indictment.
Like NBC News’ report Added, the indictment also describes a variety of prominent Republican figures who have been charged in this case but have not yet been served and whose names are redacted, including Meadows, Giuliani, Epshteyn, former campaign official Trump and former White House official Mike Roman. Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis, former Trump lawyer Christina Bobb, and John Eastman.
Although there have been other indictments in the fake voter scandal, for some of these Republican Party figures, the charges in Arizona represent their first encounter with legal risk.
Kelli Ward, former Arizona GOP chairwoman, and Tyler Bowyer, Arizona Republican national committee member and director of operations for the Trump-aligned Turning Point USA, were also indicted yesterday in the Grand Canyon State .
All of this news coincided with news from Michigan, where several Republicans were present. loaded last summer in the fake voter scandal, and where an official from the Michigan Attorney General’s office, Dana Nessel confirmed yesterday that Trump, Meadows and Giuliani are unindicted co-conspirators in state prosecutors’ filing.
For those keeping score, let’s count the number of indictments currently pending in the fake voter scandal in multiple jurisdictions:
Arizona: 18 people were chargedincluding 11 fake voters and seven Trump collaborators.
Georgia: 19 people were initially chargedincluding Trump, although some have since reached plea deals with prosecutors.
Michigan: 16 people were chargedalthough there are several other prominent unindicted co-conspirators.
Nevada: Six people were chargedeach of whom served as fake electors.
A Washington Post report noted overnight that an investigation launched by Wisconsin’s attorney general was still ongoing – suggesting the total number of charges could rise further – even as the scandal seems unlikely has…
