Former President Donald Trump has been named an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a Michigan “false electors” scheme as part of the state’s ongoing investigation into attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to testimony from a state investigator. This designation places Trump alongside several of his close associates, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows and former attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, in a controversial effort to alter the outcome of the presidential race in Michigan.
During a hearing related to the case, Howard Shock, a special agent for the Michigan Attorney General’s office, confirmed Trump’s status in the investigation in response to a direct query from an attorney representing one of the charged defendants. The case itself involves charges brought against 16 individuals who signed documentation falsely declaring Trump the victor in Michigan, a state won by Democrat Joe Biden.
The revelation of Trump’s role in the investigation comes amid a wave of legal challenges and indictments related to the 2020 election. A state grand jury in Arizona also indicted “fake electors” and key Trump aides in connection with similar schemes to keep Trump in office following his electoral defeat. The indictment describes Trump as “Unindicted Coconspirator 1”, without directly charging him.
In response to the developments, a campaign spokesman for Trump, Steven Cheung, issued a statement claiming Trump is being targeted due to his status as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, accusing Biden’s Democratic allies of a politically motivated misuse of power to influence the presidential election. A spokesperson for Giuliani echoed this sentiment, expressing pride in standing up for Americans who raised concerns regarding the 2020 election’s integrity.
On the other hand, George Terwilliger, an attorney for Meadows, challenged the factual basis of Shock’s statement, calling it an opinion rather than a fact, implying that the investigation’s claims might lack concrete evidence.
These claims of election fraud and subsequent legal challenges come as Trump faces an assortment of charges in other states as well, including Georgia, where Trump and others were charged last year in a racketeering indictment for a scheme involving Republican electors efforts to illegally try to overturn his loss in the state. Trump and his associates have consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Special counsel Jack Smith has also filed federal charges alleging Trump plotted to overturn his election loss in 2020. Although he is unnamed in the indictment, Giuliani is most likely the first of six unindicted co-conspirators in that case. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Relevant articles:
– Trump is among ‘unindicted co-conspirators’ in effort to overturn 2020 election in Michigan, investigator says, nbcnews.com, 04/28/2024
– These people were charged with interfering in the 2020 election. Some are still in politics today, The Associated Press, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 21:20:00 GMT
– Why Arizona’s conspiracy case against Trump allies matters – The Washington Post, The Washington Post, Sun, 28 Apr 2024 14:45:00 GMT
– Fake electors indicted in Arizona: Here’s how Trump’s plan to overturn the election worked, Yahoo News Canada, Sun, 28 Apr 2024 06:10:16 GMT