Eighteen individuals, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and John Eastman, have been indicted by an Arizona grand jury on charges related to their attempts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. The indictment, the culmination of a year-long investigation led by Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes, accuses the co-defendants of forgery, conspiracy, and fraudulent schemes. Among the indicted individuals are former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis, recent-RNC appointee Christina Bobb, Trump campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn, campaign aide Mike Roman, former Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward and her husband Michael Ward, Arizona state senators Anthony Kern and Jake Hoffman, and Tyler Bowyer, an RNC committeeman and Chief Operating Officer of Turning Point Action. The indictment does not charge Donald Trump himself, but refers to him as “Unindicted Coconspirator 1.” The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to prevent the lawful transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden and keep Trump in office against the will of Arizona’s voters. The investigation focuses on the defendants’ actions as fake electors, including a meeting in December 2020 where they signed documents claiming to be Arizona’s legitimate electors and casting their votes for Trump. The indictment alleges that the defendants falsely claimed that their votes were contingent on a legal challenge that would change the outcome of the election, but in reality, they intended to use their false votes to encourage Vice President Mike Pence to reject the Biden-Harris votes on January 6, 2021. Arizona is the fourth state to criminally charge fake electors, with similar indictments filed in Michigan, Nevada, and Georgia, the latter of which includes Trump as a co-defendant.
Trump Allies Indicted in Arizona for Attempting to Overturn 2020 Election
