Eleven Republicans in Arizona who submitted false documents to Congress, claiming that Donald Trump won the state in the 2020 presidential election, have been charged with conspiracy, fraud, and forgery. This marks the fourth state to bring charges against individuals involved in the fake elector scheme. The defendants include former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, 2022 U.S. Senate candidate James Lamon, and two sitting state legislators, Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern. The indictment also names an unindicted co-conspirator who is clearly identified as Trump. On December 14, 2020, the 11 individuals gathered in Phoenix and signed a certificate falsely claiming that they were duly elected electors and that Trump had carried the state. This document was then sent to Congress and the National Archives but was ultimately ignored. Arizona’s Attorney General Kris Mayes emphasized the importance of upholding American democracy and stated that she would not allow it to be undermined. Biden had won Arizona by over 10,000 votes, and the Republicans had filed a lawsuit challenging the results, which was dismissed by a U.S. District Judge. Despite the dismissal, the individuals proceeded with the certificate signing. The Arizona charges follow a series of indictments against fake electors in other states. In Michigan, 16 fake electors face felony charges for forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery. In Georgia, three fake electors have been charged alongside Trump and others in a sweeping indictment alleging a scheme to overturn the election results. In Wisconsin, 10 Republicans who posed as electors settled a civil lawsuit, admitting their involvement in efforts to overturn Biden’s victory.
Trump is also facing federal indictment in relation to the fake elector scheme. The indictment alleges that when Trump was unable to persuade state officials to support his efforts, he and his allies recruited a slate of fake electors in battleground states to sign certificates falsely claiming his victory.
In Arizona, Mayes’ predecessor, Republican Mark Brnovich, conducted an investigation into the 2020 election but did not examine the fake elector allegations. Mayes’ office has also brought charges against two Republican officials in Cochise County for delaying the canvassing of the 2022 general election results.
