Current:Home > ScamsNevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case -ValueMetric
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
View
Date:2025-04-16 05:46:30
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A slate of six Nevada Republicans have again been charged with submitting a bogus certificate to Congressthat declared Donald Trump the winner of the presidential battleground’s 2020 election.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford announced Thursday that the state’s fake electors casehad been revived in Carson City, the capital, where he filed a new complaint this week charging the defendants with “uttering a forged instrument,” a felony. The original indictment was dismissed earlier this yearafter a state judge ruled that Clark County, the state’s most populous county and home to Las Vegas, was the wrong venue for the case.
Ford, a Democrat, said the new case was filed as a precaution to avoid the statute of limitations expiring while the Nevada Supreme Court weighs his appeal of the judge’s ruling.
“While we disagree with the finding of improper venue and will continue to seek to overturn it, we are preserving our legal rights in order to ensure that these fake electors do not escape justice,” Ford said. “The actions the fake electors undertook in 2020 violated Nevada criminal law and were direct attempts to both sow doubt in our democracy and undermine the results of a free and fair election. Justice requires that these actions not go unpunished.”
Officials have said it was part of a larger scheme across seven battleground states to keep Trump in the White House after losing to Democrat Joe Biden. Criminal cases have also been brought in Michigan, Georgiaand Arizona.
Trump lost in 2020to Biden by more than 30,000 votes in Nevada. An investigation by then-Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, a Republican, found no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state.
The defendants are state GOP chair Michael McDonald; Clark County GOP chair Jesse Law; national party committee member Jim DeGraffenreid; national and Douglas County committee member Shawn Meehan; Storey County clerk Jim Hindle; and Eileen Rice, a party member from the Lake Tahoe area.
In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, McDonald’s attorney, Richard Wright, called the new complaint a political move by a Democratic state attorney general who also announced Thursday he plans to run for governor in 2026.
“We will withhold further comment and address the issues in court,” said Wright, who has spoken often in court on behalf of all six defendants.
Attorneys for the others did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
Their lawyers previously argued that Ford improperly brought the case before a grand jury in Democratic-leaning Las Vegas instead of in a northern Nevada city, where the alleged crimes occurred.
___
Associated Press writer Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
veryGood! (4932)
Related
- Olympic women's basketball bracket: Schedule, results, Team USA's path to gold
- SpaceX calls off crew launch to space station due to high winds along flight path
- Diamondbacks veteran was 'blindsided' getting cut before Arizona's World Series run
- Why Joey Graziadei Is Defending Sydney Gordon After Bachelor Drama
- Big Lots store closures could exceed 300 nationwide, discount chain reveals in filing
- Pennsylvania woman faces life after conviction in New Jersey murders of father, his girlfriend
- NASCAR Las Vegas race March 2024: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Pennzoil 400
- Pennsylvania woman faces life after conviction in New Jersey murders of father, his girlfriend
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- NFL draft's QB conundrum: Could any 2024 passers be better than Caleb Williams?
Ranking
- USA men's volleyball mourns chance at gold after losing 5-set thriller, will go for bronze
- Missouri governor commutes prison sentence for ex-Kansas City Chiefs coach who seriously injured child in drunken-driving wreck
- Resist Booksellers vows to 'inspire thinkers to go out in the world and leave their mark'
- First over-the-counter birth control pill heads to stores
- Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
- A New Jersey city that limited street parking hasn’t had a traffic death in 7 years
- Kyle Larson again wins at Las Vegas to keep Chevrolet undefeated on NASCAR season
- From spiral galaxies to volcanic eruptions on Jupiter moon, see these amazing space images
Recommendation
Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.
At least 2 wounded in shooting outside high school basketball game near Kansas City
What to know about viewing and recording the solar eclipse with your cellphone camera
Chris Mortensen, an award-winning reporter who covered the NFL, dies at 72
Jamaica's Kishane Thompson more motivated after thrilling 100m finish against Noah Lyles
North Carolina is among GOP states to change its voting rules. The primary will be a test
Where are people under the most financial stress? See the list of top 10 American cities
Trader Joe’s chicken soup dumplings recalled for possibly containing permanent marker plastic