Michigan charges 16 Trump 'false electors' with felonies in 1st such case from 2020 election


Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) filed felony charges Tuesday against 16 Republicans who signed fake electoral certificates falsely attesting that former President Donald Trump won the state in 2020. Each of the "false electors" face eight felony counts, including forgery and conspiracy to commit election law forgery, and up to 14 years in prison on the most serious counts, if convicted.
The 16 Republicans, including Republican National Committee member Kathy Berden and former Michigan Republican Party Co-Chairwoman Meshawn Maddock, met secretly in the basement of the state GOP headquarters on Dec. 14, 2020, and signed certificates falsely attesting that they were in the Michigan Capitol and Trump had won the state, the indictment says. President Biden carried Michigan by more than 150,000 votes.
Nessel's indictment says the 16 Republicans were required to surrender their phones to ensure the event was recorded. When Maddock posted about it on Facebook later in the day, fake elector John Haggard texted Berden asking, "Was she not told at the meeting to keep quite [sic]?" according to text messages from Bergen's phone. "Yes, we all were," Berden replied.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The false electors' actions undermined the public's faith in the integrity of our elections and, we believe, also plainly violated the laws by which we administer our elections in Michigan," Nessel said in a statement. "My department has prosecuted numerous cases of election law violations throughout my tenure, and 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."
These are the first charges filed against fake pro-Trump electors. Similar false electoral certificates were signed by ersatz electors in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. This scheme by Trump allies to overturn Biden's victory is also part of special counsel Jack Smith's federal investigation of the 2020 election aftermath.
Prosecutors in Arizona and Georgia are investigating the fake GOP electors. Georgia's Republican Party has spent more than $520,000 in legal costs in 2023 to defend these electors amid Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' investigation, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. At least eight of the fake electors have accepted immunity deals in exchange for their testimony.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Leo XIV vs. Trump: what will first American Pope mean for US Catholics?
Today's Big Question New pope has frequently criticised the president, especially on immigration policy, but is more socially conservative than his predecessor
-
What's going on with the Beckhams?
In the Spotlight From wedding tantrums to birthday snubs, rumours of a family rift are becoming harder to hide
-
Interest rate cut: the winners and losers
The Explainer The Bank of England's rate cut is not good news for everyone
-
Can Trump's team make the MAGA playbook work for Albania's elections?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The architects of the president's 2024 victory are looking east to extend their populist reach
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Carney and Trump come face-to-face as bilateral tensions mount
IN THE SPOTLIGHT For his first sit-down with an unpredictable frenemy, the Canadian prime minister elected on a wave of anti-Trump sentiment tried for an awkward detente
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Another messaging app used by the White House is in hot water
The Explainer TeleMessage was seen being used by former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz
-
How does the Alien Enemies Act work?
Feature President Trump is using a long-dormant law to deport Venezuelans. How does it work?
-
Baby bonus: Can Trump boost the birth rate?
Feature The Trump administration is encouraging Americans to have more babies while also cutting funding for maternal and postpartum care