The Expanding Fake Electors Cases

We’ve been focused for a while now on the four criminal cases against Donald Trump, but many of his associates are in legal trouble, too.

Prosecutors in a number of swing states have been pursuing charges against an array of people who were involved in his efforts to remain in power following his defeat in the 2020 election.

The cases center on the so-called fake electors scheme, and together, these prosecutions could provide new insights into the roots and extent of the effort to overturn the election and hold a bigger cast of characters accountable.

Starting almost before some states had even finished counting ballots, pro-Trump lawyers, state Republican officials and White House aides undertook an effort to create false slates of electors declaring that Trump had won in several swing states that were actually won by President Biden. The idea was to have Vice President Mike Pence cast doubt on the certification of Biden’s victory at a proceeding at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and have the false slates ready as part of an effort to engineer a victory for Trump.

To catch you up on the various electors cases, we reached out to our colleague, Danny Hakim, who has been following the proceedings.

How many state elector cases are there and where have they been filed?

Danny: As of this month, elector cases have been filed in five states. Michigan and Georgia went first last summer. Nevada followed in December. Arizona and Wisconsin filed charges this year.