Following an investigation in Arizona, several advisers to former President Donald Trump, including Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, and attorney Rudy Giuliani, were formally charged by the state’s Attorney General for their role. in an attempt to overturn Donald Trump’s defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 elections.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced charges against 11 alleged false electors, as well as seven individuals, for their alleged role in efforts to subvert Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state.
They face nine charges each
The indictment accuses the 11 Republicans who presented a document to Congress in which they falsely declared Trump’s victory. They include the former state party chair, a 2022 U.S. Senate candidate, and two sitting state legislators, AP said.
Each of them faces nine counts of criminal association, fraud and forgery. Regarding the seven more people, among whom, according to ABC News, there are also John Eastman and Boris Epshteyn, along with Giuliani and Meadows.
According to official documents, Donald Trump is not facing charges, but he was referred to as an unindicted accomplice.
Arizona becomes the fourth state in the United States in which allies of former President Trump are accused of using false statements about alleged electoral fraud related to the elections.
A state grand jury, made up of everyday Arizonans, has handed down criminal indictments in the ongoing investigation into the fake elector scheme in Arizona. pic.twitter.com/Nu8GcD4ZqJ
— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) April 24, 2024
“I will not allow democracy to be undermined”
In a statement to ABC News, a Giuliani adviser said: “The continued militarization of our justice system should concern every American, from Arizona to Michigan and everywhere in between, as it causes permanent and irrevocable damage to the country.” .
“I will not allow American democracy to be undermined,” state Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a video released by her office. “It’s too important,” the AP reported.
The formal accusation, which does not give the identity of all those involved, only their description, alludes to Rudy Giuliani as a lawyer “who was frequently identified as the mayor” and spread false allegations that electoral fraud was committed.
For Mike Meadows you can read his description as Trump’s 2020 chief of staff. He worked with members of the Trump Campaign to coordinate and implement fake Republican elector votes in Arizona and six other states.
Descriptions of other defendants point to Mike Roman, John Eastman, and Christina Bobb.
“Justice demands a response”
In a video posted on
“We are here because justice demands a response to the efforts the defendants and other unindicted co-conspirators allegedly made to undermine the will of Arizona voters during the 2020 presidential election,” is part of what he said. Mayes.
The 11 people who had been nominated to be Republican delegates from Arizona met in Phoenix on December 14, 2020, to sign a certificate and assured that Trump had won the state, the same news agency explained.
Joe Biden won the state of Arizona in 2020, by more than 10,000 votes.
Importantly, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford announced felony charges against six alleged “false voters.” In Michigan, Attorney General Dana Nessel charged 16 “substitute electors.” And in Georgia, three “false electors,” along with Trump, were accused of extortion, all in relation to alleged attempts to overturn the results in 2020.
With information from AP and ABC News
Keep reading:
- Rudy Giuliani Fails to Overturn $148 Million Defamation Judgment
- Former Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani Admits He Made False Claims About Election Workers in Georgia
- Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, accused him of being “dishonest” for claiming he won the 2020 election.