Arizona has indicted seven individuals associated with Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign and 11 Arizona Republicans on felony charges. These charges are related to their alleged attempts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona during the 2020 election, as announced by the Arizona Attorney General.
The indicted individuals include Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, and Christina Bobb, along with top campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn and former campaign aide Mike Roman. They are accused of supporting a strategy to shift the state’s electoral votes to Trump instead of Biden. The indicted Republicans, including former state party chair Kelli Ward, state Sens. Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern, and Tyler Bowyer, a GOP national committeeman, are charged with signing false paperwork on Dec. 14, 2020, claiming Trump was the legitimate winner.
Donald Trump was not charged but is mentioned in the indictment as an unindicted co-conspirator.
Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays announced the indictments following a year-long investigation into the electoral strategy in Arizona, which Biden won by 10,457 votes. Arizona is now the fourth state, after Michigan, Georgia, and Nevada, to press charges against individuals involved in forming an alternate slate of presidential electors.
The indictment highlights that “the people elected Joseph Biden as President on November 3, 2020,” and accuses the defendants and co-conspirators of scheming “to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency,” thereby attempting to retain Trump in office “against the will of Arizona’s voters.”
Several attorneys for the accused have described the indictment as politically motivated. Spokespeople for the indicted individuals either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The investigation by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has been comprehensive, targeting not only local participants but also out-of-state intermediaries allegedly involved in the scheme.
This is a second set of charges for several of the indicted individuals, who were previously charged in Georgia alongside Trump. Ellis had pleaded guilty in October to charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia and has been cooperating with prosecutors.
The indictment details various attempts by Trump and his allies to pressure state and local officials to change the election results, starting with members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and later targeting state legislators.
Mayes’s investigation broadened after meeting with Kenneth Chesebro, an architect of the elector strategy, who provided previously unseen records detailing more about the Arizona effort.
Communications among the accused show discussions about using GOP electors to alter the electoral outcome started as early as Nov. 4, 2020. By Dec.
14, 2020, Republicans in Arizona were finalizing plans to gather in Phoenix in support of Trump, with emails showing that the Trump campaign had requested the participation of Arizona electors.
The indictment highlights that pro-Trump electors “made statements directly contradicting any intention that their votes would only be used if they succeeded in legal challenges to change the outcome of Arizona’s election.” It also includes evidence of a social media post from Ward, demonstrating her goal to have the Arizona Legislature certify the electors’ votes.
In the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, the indictment states that Ward continued to call for the state legislature to change the election outcome, while Bowyer made public statements indicating the contingency plan was a cover for attempting to alter the election outcome.
After the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capital, prosecutors across the country considered whether to investigate pro-Trump electors in their states. In Arizona, Attorney General Mark Brnovich chose not to pursue the matter. However, after Mayes was elected in 2022, she committed to investigating the elector strategy and assigned prosecutors to gather evidence.
Arizona has indicted seven individuals associated with Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign and 11 Arizona Republicans on felony charges. These charges are related to their alleged attempts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona during the 2020 election, as announced by the Arizona Attorney General.
The indicted individuals include Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, and Christina Bobb, along with top campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn and former campaign aide Mike Roman. They are accused of supporting a strategy to shift the state’s electoral votes to Trump instead of Biden. The indicted Republicans, including former state party chair Kelli Ward, state Sens. Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern, and Tyler Bowyer, a GOP national committeeman, are charged with signing false paperwork on Dec. 14, 2020, claiming Trump was the legitimate winner.
Donald Trump was not charged but is mentioned in the indictment as an unindicted co-conspirator.
Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays announced the indictments following a year-long investigation into the electoral strategy in Arizona, which Biden won by 10,457 votes. Arizona is now the fourth state, after Michigan, Georgia, and Nevada, to press charges against individuals involved in forming an alternate slate of presidential electors.
The indictment highlights that “the people elected Joseph Biden as President on November 3, 2020,” and accuses the defendants and co-conspirators of scheming “to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency,” thereby attempting to retain Trump in office “against the will of Arizona’s voters.”
Several attorneys for the accused have described the indictment as politically motivated. Spokespeople for the indicted individuals either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The investigation by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has been comprehensive, targeting not only local participants but also out-of-state intermediaries allegedly involved in the scheme.
This is a second set of charges for several of the indicted individuals, who were previously charged in Georgia alongside Trump. Ellis had pleaded guilty in October to charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia and has been cooperating with prosecutors.
The indictment details various attempts by Trump and his allies to pressure state and local officials to change the election results, starting with members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and later targeting state legislators.
Mayes’s investigation broadened after meeting with Kenneth Chesebro, an architect of the elector strategy, who provided previously unseen records detailing more about the Arizona effort.
Communications among the accused show discussions about using GOP electors to alter the electoral outcome started as early as Nov. 4, 2020. By Dec.
14, 2020, Republicans in Arizona were finalizing plans to gather in Phoenix in support of Trump, with emails showing that the Trump campaign had requested the participation of Arizona electors.
The indictment highlights that pro-Trump electors “made statements directly contradicting any intention that their votes would only be used if they succeeded in legal challenges to change the outcome of Arizona’s election.” It also includes evidence of a social media post from Ward, demonstrating her goal to have the Arizona Legislature certify the electors’ votes.
In the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, the indictment states that Ward continued to call for the state legislature to change the election outcome, while Bowyer made public statements indicating the contingency plan was a cover for attempting to alter the election outcome.
After the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capital, prosecutors across the country considered whether to investigate pro-Trump electors in their states. In Arizona, Attorney General Mark Brnovich chose not to pursue the matter. However, after Mayes was elected in 2022, she committed to investigating the elector strategy and assigned prosecutors to gather evidence.