Allies of former President Donald Trump were arraigned in Phoenix on charges including conspiracy, fraud, and forgery related to an alleged scheme to present phony electors in the 2020 election who backed Trump despite President Biden’s win in Arizona. Defendants include Rudy Giuliani, former Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorneys Jenna Ellis and Christina Bobb, and others. Trump, an “unindicted co-conspirator,” is not among the defendants but is referenced in the indictment.
Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to nine federal charges and was served while leaving his 80th birthday party. The charges allege that the defendants knowingly falsified certificates of votes for Trump and Vice President Pence filed by Arizona Republican electors. A spokesperson for Giuliani claimed the charges are political and part of an attempt to interfere with the 2024 election and target Trump and his allies. The Arizona indictment also accuses Ward of organizing the effort to submit a false document to Congress declaring Trump the winner in Arizona.
The charges in Arizona revolve around a document falsely declaring Trump the winner of the state, which was submitted to Congress. Ward is accused of organizing the effort and wanted Vice President Pence to accept the false submission as valid. The indictment states that the electors met in Phoenix in December 2020 and signed a certificate claiming to be the duly elected electors for Trump and Pence. Arizona’s Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes emphasized that the scheme, if successful, would have deprived Arizona voters of their right to have their votes counted for their chosen president.
Former Trump attorney John Eastman, accused of devising a scheme to persuade Congress not to accept the election results, also pleaded not guilty to fraud, conspiracy, and forgery charges. Arizona is one of seven states where Trump lost in 2020, and his allies are accused of attempting to put forward alternate electors. Similar alleged false elector schemes have been reported in Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada. Trump and other defendants face numerous charges related to election interference and the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing.
The charges against Trump allies in Arizona are part of a broader pattern of allegations of election fraud and interference across multiple states. Trump, Giuliani, Meadows, Ellis, and Eastman are among the defendants in these cases. The indictments underscore the ongoing legal challenges faced by Trump and his associates related to the 2020 election and its aftermath. The accusations highlight the deep political divisions in the United States and the continued fallout from the contentious election.
