On April 24, a grand jury in Arizona indicted 18 people on charges of organizing fake electors to re-elect President Trump (pictured at the time) in the 2020 presidential election. The photo was taken on the 23rd in New York, USA (2024 Reuters/File Photo)
[２４日 ロイター] – A grand jury in Arizona indicted 18 people on charges of organizing fake electors to re-elect then-President Trump in the 2020 presidential election. State Attorney General Mays made the announcement on the 24th.
According to court documents, former President Trump, a co-conspirator, was not prosecuted.
In the 2020 presidential election, attempts were made in multiple states to overturn Biden’s victory based on Trump’s claims.
Seven of the 18 people indicted have not been named, but include former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trump’s lawyer, a spokesperson for Trump said.
There is also a mention that he was the president’s chief of staff at the time in 2020, which appears to be a reference to Mark Meadows.
Arizona is allocated 11 electors, and the 11 defendants named in the indictment fall under the category of fake electors. Mays said the charges against the other seven people will be made public after they are served with indictments.
A spokesperson for Trump said one of the defendants whose name was withheld was his lawyer, Christina Bobb, and that the indictment was “another example of Democrats weaponizing the legal system.”
A spokesperson for Giuliani said his indictment “will cause permanent and irreparable harm to our nation and should be of concern to all citizens.”
According to the indictment, the defendants attempted to pressure the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, the Arizona State Legislature, and then-Governor Ducey to change the election results.
The charges include three felonies: fraud, forgery and conspiracy, and if convicted, he could be sentenced to more than 12 years in prison starting in June.
Trump’s aides planted fake electors in seven states, including the one won by Biden, in a scheme to ensure that Trump won the votes allocated to each state.
In Georgia, three people who claimed to be Trump’s electors were indicted along with Trump. In Michigan, 16 people were indicted for falsely claiming to be Trump electors in July 2023. Nevada authorities have indicted six people, including the state Republican Party chairman.
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Daniel Trotta is a US National Affairs correspondent, covering water/fire/drought, race, guns, LGBTQ+ issues and breaking news in America. Previously based in New York, and now in California, Trotta has covered major US news stories such as the killing of Trayvon Martin, the mass shooting of 20 first-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and natural disasters including Superstorm Sandy. In 2017 he was awarded the NLGJA award for excellence in transgender coverage. He was previously posted in Cuba, Spain, Mexico and Nicaragua, covering top world stories such as the normalization of Cuban-US relations and the Madrid train bombing by Islamist radicals.
Tags: Giuliani indicted Arizona grand jury fake electors presidential election Reuters
