Michigan’s attorney general filed felony charges Tuesday against 16 Republicans who acted as electors for then-President Donald Trump in 2020, accusing them of submitting false certificates confirming they were legitimate electors despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, announced Tuesday that all 16 individuals would get eight criminal charges, including two counts of forgery, which is a 14-year felony. The group includes Republican National Committeewoman Kathy Berden and Meshawn Maddock, former co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
“It would be malfeasance of the greatest magnitude if my department failed to act here in the face of overwhelming evidence of an organized effort to circumvent the lawfully cast ballots of millions of Michigan voters in a presidential election,” Nessel said in a statement.
The group is alleged to have met on Dec. 14 and signed their names to multiple certificates stating they were the qualified electors for Trump. These documents were then transmitted to the U.S. Senate and National Archives.
In January of last year, Nessel had asked federal prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into 16 Republicans.
Nessel alleged a “coordinated effort” among Republican parties in several battleground states including Michigan to push so-called alternate slates of electors. She said she wants federal authorities to make an evaluation for possible charges.
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