Then-Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward is seen at a rally on Nov. 7, 2022 in Prescott, Ariz. Ward has now been indicted on state charges for her role as a so-called “fake elector” for Donald Trump.
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Then-Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward is seen at a rally on Nov. 7, 2022 in Prescott, Ariz. Ward has now been indicted on state charges for her role as a so-called “fake elector” for Donald Trump.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
PHOENIX — An Arizona grand jury has indicted a slew of allies of former President Donald Trump for their efforts to keep him in power after the 2020 election.
Eleven people who submitted documentation falsely claiming Trump, not President Biden, won the state’s popular vote in 2020 are named in the indictment. Seven others were indicted but had their names redacted.
Those seven include former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman.
NPR is identifying them based on information included in the indictment that pertains to them, such as being “often identified as ‘the Mayor’ ” for Giuliani, who was mayor of New York City.
The identities of other defendants need to be confirmed. According to a news release from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, “[a]n unredacted version of the indictment will be made available after all defendants have been served.”
The defendants are charges with nine counts, including felony fraud, forgery and conspiracy.
“The people of Arizona elected President Biden,” Mayes said in a video release. “Unwilling to accept this fact, the defendants charged by the state grand jury allegedly schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency.”
The indictment also mentions a number of unindicted co conspirators, including “a former president of the United States who spread false claims of election fraud following the 2020 election” — Trump — and former members of the Arizona Legislature.
The action makes Arizona the fourth state where charges have been brought against individuals involved in so-called “fake elector” schemes that sought to undermine Biden’s victory over Trump.
Prosecutors in Georgia, Michigan and Nevada have already charged individuals accused of participating in similar schemes in those states. In another swing state, Wisconsin, fake electors admitted to their roles as part of civil settlements.
The slate of fake electors charged in Arizona includes several influential Republicans, including sitting state Sens. Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern. Former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, former party Executive Director Greg Safsten and RNC Committeeman Tyler Bowyer also signed documents transmitted to the federal government. Bowyer is also an executive with Turning Point USA, an Arizona-based right wing advocacy group founded by Trump ally Charlie Kirk.
The indictments mark a significant step forward in an investigation that began a year ago after Mayes, a Democrat who was elected attorney general in 2022 by just 280 votes, took office in early 2023.
Some Democrats criticized Mayes over the pace of that investigation, which proceeded largely behind closed doors as grand juries in other states indicted alleged participants in the fake electors scheme.
But Mayes urged patience, pointing out that she took office after many of the officials pursuing the case in other states. Her predecessor, Republican Mark Brnovich, did not investigate the case.
“The investigators and attorneys assigned to this case took the necessary time to thoroughly piece together the details of the events that began nearly four years ago,” Mayes said.
There were signs the case was picking up steam in recent months, though. In December, the investigators met with former Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro, who was accused of being the head architect of the fake elector plot by the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.
Chesebro pleaded guilty in Georgia to one felony count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents. He agreed to testify in that case and also met with prosecutors in Nevada. Chesebro also agreed to the civil settlement in Wisconsin, which required him to publish records and documents detailing interactions with the Trump campaign about the fake elector strategy.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.