Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and other prominent Trump allies have been hit with felony charges by an Arizona grand jury. The charges claim that they tried to impede the legal transfer of power from former President Trump to Joe Biden.
Seven Trump aides, in addition to 11 pro-Trump Arizona Republicans, have been charged for their involvement in signing documents that falsely claimed to represent the state’s legitimate electors in the 2020 election.
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The former president is not facing any charges but is named as an unindicted co-conspirator.
The 18 defendants are facing accusations from prosecutors of orchestrating a scheme aimed at making false claims of election fraud. The purpose of these false claims was to put pressure on Arizona election officials in order to overturn President Biden’s narrow victory in the state.
The indictment, dated Tuesday and made public on Wednesday, details lawsuits that were filed, alleged messages sent to county and state officials, and the signing of the “fake elector” documents in December 2020.
All 11 pro-Trump electors are currently facing a total of nine charges, which include conspiracy, fraud, and forgery.
The indictment states that Joseph Biden was elected as President on November 3, 2020, by the people of Arizona and the United States.
The statement asserted that the Defendants and unindicted coconspirators refused to acknowledge the reality and plotted to obstruct the rightful transfer of the presidency, aiming to retain Unindicted Coconspirator 1 in power despite the opposition of Arizona’s voters. Their scheme aimed to undermine the rights of Arizona voters, denying them the opportunity to cast their votes and have them duly counted.
The charging documents reveal that aside from the 11 alternate electors, the other defendants in the case are individuals with well-known names. Among them are Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who is now a legal representative for Trump; Meadows, who served as Trump’s White House chief of staff; Epshteyn, a trusted adviser to Trump; Eastman, an attorney who played a role in Trump’s efforts to challenge the election results; Bobb, a former Trump attorney who currently works for the Republican National Committee; and Roman, the director of Election Day operations for Trump’s 2020 campaign.
According to the office of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D), once the individuals have been served, their names will be made public.
Mayes expressed that her office is currently conducting an ongoing investigation into the purported scheme aimed at undermining the election results in the state.
The 2020 presidential race in Arizona was incredibly close, with Biden ultimately winning against Trump by a margin of just over 10,000 votes.
In Arizona, alongside six other battleground states, groups of “alternate electors” gathered and asserted, without evidence, that they were the legitimate and duly elected electors. Their intention was for then-Vice President Mike Pence to acknowledge these electors who supported Trump, rather than the legally recognized electoral votes cast for Biden.
Arizona has joined the ranks of four states that have filed charges against pro-Trump electors. This move comes after similar charges were brought in Michigan, Nevada, and Georgia.
The indictment alleges that Giuliani, commonly referred to as “the Mayor,” disseminated false claims of election fraud in Arizona. He exerted pressure on Arizona officials to alter the election outcome and played a role in urging pro-Trump electors to cast their votes for the former president’s ticket.
In his 2022 testimony before the House Jan. 6 committee, former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R ) pointed a finger at Giuliani. Bowers revealed that despite his constant requests for evidence to support his claims of election fraud in the 2020 election, Giuliani was unable to provide any.
According to Bowers’ testimony, Giuliani stated, “We’ve got plenty of theories, we just don’t have the evidence.”
According to the charging document, Meadows is accused of collaborating with individuals from Trump’s campaign to organize and execute the casting of alternate electors’ votes in key states. The document further states that Meadows played a role in numerous endeavors aimed at maintaining Trump’s hold on power, despite his loss in the elections.
According to the indictment, other Trump allies reportedly played a role in implementing the scheme. They allegedly pressured Pence to accept the pro-Trump slate of electors.
The individuals indicted as ‘fake electors’ include Kelli Ward, former Arizona Republican Party Chair, along with her husband, Michael Ward. Also indicted are Tyler Bowyer, the chief operating officer of Turning Point Action, Nancy Cottle, who has held positions on the Maricopa County Republican Committee, and Arizona State Senators Jacob Hoffman and Anthony Kern. Additionally, former U.S. Senate candidate James Lamon, former Cochise County Republican Party Chair Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, a former Gila County Republican Party precinct committeeman, former Ahwatukee Republican Women president Lorraine Pellegrino, and Gregory Safsted, the state Republican party’s former executive director, are among those facing charges.
Ted Goodman, Giuliani’s political adviser, expressed his disappointment at the number of individuals who are willing to dismantle the entire justice system in their pursuit of undermining President Donald Trump and those who challenge the ruling regime. According to Goodman, these so-called “leaders” are driven by their desire to maintain their hold on power.
In a confident statement, Hoffman declared his innocence and expressed his determination to defend himself against any allegations of wrongdoing. He eagerly anticipated the day when he would be fully exonerated, viewing the charges against him as nothing more than a politically motivated attack.
