In the American electoral system, the party with the most votes in a state’s presidential election takes all of its local delegates to vote in the Electoral College. However, in 2020, a group of individuals in Arizona allegedly participated in a scheme to falsely certify Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election in the state.
The attempt was to reverse Trump’s defeat to Joe Biden, the actual winner in Arizona. The complaint alleges that 11 Trump supporters met in December 2020 to sign a certificate stating that the state’s 11 delegates were eligible to vote in the Electoral College, even though Biden had won Arizona.
Those charged include Kelli Ward, state legislators Anthony Kern and Jake Hoffman, Michael Ward, Tyler Bowyer, Greg Safsten, Jim Lamon, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Nancy Cottle and Loraine Pellegrino. The complaint reportedly refers to Trump as “unindicted co-conspirator 1.”
In addition to the 11 Republicans indicted, seven other individuals were charged but their names have not been disclosed among those indicted whose identities were not revealed include Ted Goodman, a spokesman for Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani. The legal proceedings highlight ongoing concerns about the 2020 presidential election and its implications.