Michigan attorney general Dana Nessel (D.) announced Tuesday she had filed criminal charges against 16 people who signed paperwork falsely claiming that Donald Trump won the 2020 election.
It is the first time a state attorney general has charged so-called “false electors” who participated in a scheme to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory. Biden carried the Wolverine State by over 150,000 votes.
The 16 people charged include high-profile Michigan Republicans like Meshawn Maddock, co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, and Kathy Berden, a national committeewoman for the RNC representing Michigan.
The 16 people allegedly met in the basement of the state’s Republican Party headquarters. They signed multiple certificates claiming they were “the duly elected and qualified electors for president and vice president of the United States of America for the state of Michigan,” per an NBC report.
“That was a lie. They weren’t the duly elected and qualified electors, and each of the defendants knew it,” Nessel argued.
According to Nessel, some of the electors attempted to deliver these false documents to the state Senate, but were turned away. The documents were later sent to the U.S. Senate and the National Archives with the intent that Vice President Mike Pence would overturn the results of the election, using the false electoral slate.
The fake electors are being charged with eight felony counts each, including forgery.
“The false electors’ actions undermine the public’s faith in the integrity of our elections and not only violated the spirit of the laws enshrining and defending our democracy, but we believe also plainly violated the laws by which we administer our elections in Michigan and peaceably transfer power in America,” Nessel said.
The Michigan attorney general acted in the absence of federal charges being filed.
Nevada attorney general Aaron Ford (D.) recently declined to pursue charges against fake electors in his state.
The announcement came on the same day that Trump claimed he received a letter from special counsel Jack Smith that he is a target of Smith’s investigation into the January 6 attack on the Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.