LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s attorney general filed felony charges Tuesday against 16 Republicans who acted as fake electors for then-President Donald Trump in 2020, accusing them of submitting false certificates confirming they were legitimate electors despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, announced Tuesday that all 16 individuals would get eight criminal charges, including two counts of forgery, which is a 14-year felony. The group includes Republican National Committeewoman Kathy Berden and Meshawn Maddock, former co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
“It would be malfeasance of the greatest magnitude if my department failed to act here in the face of overwhelming evidence of an organized effort to circumvent the lawfully cast ballots of millions of Michigan voters in a presidential election,” Nessel said in a statement.
Nessel: They weren't the duly elected and qualified electors and each of the defendants knew it. They carried out these actions with the hope that the electoral votes of Michigan's 2020 election would be awarded to the candidate of their choosing pic.twitter.com/32JaagQDKI
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 18, 2023
There was no immediate reaction from the White House after the charges were announced.
The group is alleged to have met on December 14, 2020, and signed their names to multiple certificates stating they were the qualified electors for Trump. These false documents were then transmitted to the U.S. Senate and National Archives.
In January of last year, Nessel asked federal prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into 16 Republicans.
BREAKING: Michigan AG Nessel charges 'fake electors' with election law and forgery felonies pic.twitter.com/fohgn0Iksn
— Jonathan Oosting (@jonathanoosting) July 18, 2023
Nessel alleged a “coordinated effort” among Republican parties in several battleground states, including Michigan, to push so-called alternate slates of electors with fake documents. She said she wants federal authorities to make an evaluation for possible charges.
