Former Trump lawyer and NY City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, and former WH Chief of Staff Mark Meadows were among the prominent allies of the former president that an Arizona grand jury indicted for their roles in contesting the 2020 presidential election results.
The Washington Post said that in addition to Ward, Meadows, and Giuliani, other individuals indicted included former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis, former Trump campaign advisor Boris Epshteyn, and a number of Arizona Republican Party members.
Indicted for allegedly trying to assist Trump in gaining Arizona’s electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election—more than three years ago—are Meadows, Giuliani, Ellis, and Epshteyn.
Long after they certified that Trump was the election winner on December 14, 2020, individuals like Ward and state senators from Arizona, Jake Hoffman (R) and Anthony Kern (R), faced prosecution.
The indictment of numerous Trump supporters and members of the Republican Party in Arizona coincides with the findings of a poll by Bloomberg News and Morning Consult published between April 8 and April 15, which shows that President Joe Biden is lagging behind Trump in a number of crucial swing states, including Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, by six points or more.
With 49 percent of voters in Arizona saying they would vote for Trump, compared to 42 percent for Biden, Trump had a seven-point lead.
Attorney General of Arizona Kris Mayes made the announcement of the indictment on X:
“I refuse to let any threat threaten the integrity of American democracy. It is far too significant. The assigned attorneys and investigators in this case took the time to thoroughly piece together the events that started over four years ago. I’m quite proud of the work they’ve done so far, and they followed the facts when they took the lead. Justice requires that the defendants and other uncharged co-conspirators provide an explanation for their claimed efforts to sway Arizona voters’ decisions in the 2020 presidential election, which is why we are here. The election in Arizona was fair and free. Arizonans chose Joe Biden to be president.”
This grand jury indictment from Arizona is the most recent in a string of attempts by Republicans and conservatives to use the legal system against them; Trump and other Republicans have called this “weaponization,” citing examples such as former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
In July 2023, AG Dana Nessel of Michigan charged sixteen “fake electors” with eight felonies, which included conspiracy and election law forgery, in connection with their claimed actions in trying to tamper with the results of the 2020 presidential election.
A grand jury in Nevada charged many prominent members of the state’s Republican Party some months later, in December 2023. The accused faced accusations of fabricating and presenting forged papers related to the scheme of “fake electors.”
According to the so-called “fake electors,” they were acting sincere because they thought Trump had won every state.
Trump’s supporters have cited the 1960 presidential contest between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon as one example.
Kennedy won the presidency by a slim margin, but in Hawaii, a recount was required since the first returns indicated Nixon had won the state by 140 votes, according to Politico.
During a recount, Nixon’s electors assembled and cast three ballots for him. Kennedy’s electors also gathered and signed a document stating that Kennedy had won the state rather than Nixon.
According to reports, Trump’s and Kennedy’s electors used the same language in their paperwork.
In this case, Kennedy eventually won an overturn of the findings.
The former president is currently on trial for 34 counts of allegedly falsifying records in the first degree with regard to payments made to porno star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. Several of his top allies, as well as several members of the Arizona GOP, have been indicted.
The Arizona Mirror reports that the indictment includes the eleven Republicans from Arizona who served as alternative electors.
According to the Washington Post, arrested Trump associates include Mark Meadows, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, Christina Bobb, a former Trump lawyer, Boris Epshteyn, and Mike Roman, a former Trump campaign aide.
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