LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Lansing district court judge has dismissed charges against 15 Republicans who served as false electors for Donald Trump in 2020, ruling there was not enough evidence to prove they acted with criminal intent.
The defendants, including former Michigan GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock and Republican National Committeewoman Kathy Berden, were accused of forgery and conspiracy for signing documents falsely claiming Trump won Michigan. Judge Kristen Simmons declined to bind the case over for trial.
Attorney General Dana Nessel blasted the decision, insisting the evidence was overwhelming. She argued the false electors met secretly at GOP headquarters, took oaths of secrecy, and knowingly signed a false certificate that was sent to federal authorities.
“This was the boots-on-the-ground effort necessary to effectuate a modern American coup, a stake through the very heart of our democracy,” Nessel said. “We saw that scheme play out, and the plan was clear as day, send a false slate of electors to Washington, D.C., and count on Vice President Mike Pence to refute the legitimate Biden electors, citing Trump’s false and ironic claims of fraud, and instead count these Trump electors betray the American voters, and end democracy in this nation founded on the very ideal of self-governance. It was an attempt to pierce the very heart of what makes America, America.”
Assistant Attorney General Kahla Crino stated that the actions impaired a government function, specifically the lawful certification of Michigan’s election results. Nessel’s office is reviewing whether to appeal, but further charges in the case are unlikely.
