CNN
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An Arizona grand jury has returned an indictment against former President Donald Trump’s allies, including the state’s fake electors and several people associated with the Trump campaign, in an effort to overturn his 2020 election loss. I put it down.
Boris Epshteyn is a former White House aide who remains one of President Trump’s closest aides. former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows; Rudy Giuliani is among those indicted, according to people familiar with the investigation.
Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays (D) announced an indictment Wednesday night targeting 11 people who acted as pro-Trump electors in the state. Mays said in a statement Wednesday that the names of several other indicted defendants will remain redacted until they have been served.
“A state grand jury made up of Arizona residents has now handed down felony indictments against all 11 Republican electors and several others involved in this scheme,” Mays said. “These are serious charges, but they are the first hurdle a state must pass in our constitutional criminal justice system. We intend to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that these crimes were committed.” is.”
Trump is not among those indicted in Arizona, but details in the indictment suggest he is “unindicted co-conspirator 1.”
CNN has reached out to those involved for comment.
The Arizona indictment includes nine charges ranging from conspiracy and forgery to participating in a fraudulent scheme. The indictment remains partially redacted, so it’s unclear what charges Meadows, Epshteyn, Giuliani and other Trump allies face.
“The people of Arizona and the United States elected Joseph Biden as President on November 3, 2020,” the indictment states. “Unwilling to accept this fact, the defendant and his unindicted co-conspirators are using the lawful transfer of the presidency to keep unindicted co-conspirator 1 in office, against the will of Arizona voters. I planned to prevent it.”
The scheme used fake electors to fraudulently vote for Trump and “falsely claim to be the duly elected and eligible electors for President and Vice President of the United States from the State of Arizona,” according to the indictment. .
“Defendants deceived Arizonans by falsely claiming that these votes were subject only to legal challenges that would change the outcome of the election,” the indictment continues. “In reality, the defendants believe that the erroneous vote for Trump vs. Pence will prompt Pence to reject the Biden vs. Harris vote on January 6, 2021, regardless of the outcome of the legal challenge. That was my intention.”
The scheme failed on January 6, 2021, when then-Vice President Mike Pence accepted the electoral votes for Joe Biden, according to the indictment.
Eastman and Trump’s 2020 campaign officials also indicted
The names of several defendants in the Arizona case remain redacted because they have not yet been served, but the indictment describes their roles in the alleged conspiracy.
Other people charged in Arizona but whose names have been redacted include Mike Roman, a Trump ally and 2020 campaign official, investigators told CNN. . Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis. and conservative lawyer John Eastman.
Mr. Roman, Mr. Ellis and Mr. Eastman were also indicted in the Georgia election destruction case, as were Mr. Meadows and Mr. Giuliani. Ellis pleaded guilty to one charge in the Georgia case. Others have pleaded not guilty.
Epshteyn has not previously been charged in connection with the 2020 post-election effort to overturn Trump’s defeat.
Meadows, whose name is redacted in the indictment but is listed as Trump’s chief of staff in 2020, “worked with members of the Trump campaign to advance Republican elections in Arizona and six other states. “coordinated and conducted false voting by persons,” the indictment states. And he was “involved in many efforts to keep[Trump]in power despite his defeat in the polls.”
The person, identified by CNN as Giuliani, spread false claims of voter fraud across the country after the 2020 election, falsely claiming that Arizona officials “made no effort” to find out whether the votes were accurate. He is said to have encouraged “Republican electors in Arizona.” and six other swing states are scheduled to vote Trump vs. Pence on December 14, 2020,” the indictment states.
Other anonymous defendants urged Mr. Pence to refuse or delay the certification of the January 6 electoral votes, spread false claims of voter fraud, encouraged fake electors, and promoted fake electors in Arizona. He allegedly lobbied for the implementation of the plan and worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The incident will put increased scrutiny on actions taken on Trump’s behalf after the last election. This comes at a time when Trump’s lawyers are expected to argue before the Supreme Court on Thursday that Trump will not be prosecuted in the federal election interference case, and at the same time that Trump is expected to cover up allegations of extramarital affairs before the election. He is currently on trial in New York in connection with hush money paid to him. 2016 Election.
The Arizona case is the latest state-level prosecution aimed at a plot to overturn Biden’s election victory. Prosecutors in Michigan, Georgia, and Nevada have also filed criminal charges against some people who signed up as fake electors in those states. Investigators in Wisconsin are conducting a similar investigation.
In Maricopa County, Arizona, a grand jury authorized to investigate efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results met this week ahead of announcing Mays’ indictment.
CNN previously reported that Arizona prosecutors have issued a series of grand jury subpoenas to Trump campaign officials and several people who served as fake electors in the state, leading to an investigation into the 2024 presidential election. This is a sign that the trend is accelerating.
Some of the fake electors who were ultimately indicted in Arizona recently appeared before a grand jury and cited the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination, sources familiar with the investigation told CNN.
Mays initially focused his investigation on 11 fake electors in Arizona and those who helped organize them, but sources recently told CNN that individuals associated with the former president’s national campaign are also being investigated. He said he was doing it.
“Over the past 13 months, we have conducted a thorough and professional investigation into fraudulent election systems in our state,” Mays said Wednesday. “I’m sure some of you weren’t up to speed enough today. And I’m aware that I’m going to be criticized by others for even doing this research. As I said, and I’ll say it again today, I will not allow American democracy to be undermined.”
Multiple state-level officials in Arizona told the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot that President Trump and his allies urged them to decertify the state’s election results. He said he was trying to put pressure on him.
President Trump’s fake electors convened at state Republican Party headquarters in Phoenix on December 14, 2020. broadcast yourself They were preparing to sign documents purportedly provided by Trump campaign lawyers, claiming they were legitimate representatives of the state’s electors.
By that point, Trump’s loss in the state (by less than 11,000 votes) had already been certified by the Republican governor, confirming Biden’s victory in Arizona in the 2020 presidential election. But in the weeks that followed, some fake electors continued to call on Mr. Pence to reject the Democratic Party’s legitimate slate of electors.
The election sham scheme and pressure campaign against Mr. Pence are the focus of Mr. Trump’s federal indictment by special counsel Jack Smith.
This article and headline have been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Rashard Rose contributed to this report.
