Fifteen Republicans who tried to overturn the election results in 2020 can breathe free after a Democrat-appointed judge dropped all charges against them on Tuesday.
District Judge Kristen Simmons found that prosecutors did not produce enough evidence to support the eight counts of forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery that were filed against each defendant. A 16th elector involved in the operation had agreed to cooperate with the investigation in exchange for having the charges dropped.
‘Their goal is not a conviction, it is pure legal harassment.’
The judge pointedly denied that the case involved election interference.
“I believe they were executing their constitutional right to seek redress,” Simmons said, adding that the defendants “seriously believed” there were issues with the election.
The Michigan Conservative Union released a statement applauding the decision.
“Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged everyday citizens who are farmers, grandmothers, and retirees with eight (8) felonies in July 2023. Their ‘crime’? These citizens participated in the election process by … serving as volunteer Republican presidential alternate electors in the 2020 election, supposedly to benefit Donald J. Trump,” the statement given to Blaze News read in part.
Co-defendant Meshawn Maddock accused the attorney general of legal harassment.
“Nessel is a legal thug,” Maddock said. “We all knew from day one that we had done nothing illegal or wrong. Yes, we volunteered to be an alternate elector in support of Donald J. Trump. That is not a crime, as much as Nessel wanted it to be one. To corrupt politicians, lawfare is a ‘win’ when the punishment is the process. Their goal is not a conviction, it is pure legal harassment. Nessel’s defeat today was epic.”
Marian Sheridan, another co-defendant, also decried the attorney general.
“Dana’s alternate elector HOAX rightfully died today,” she said. “It is a shame that this corrupt Attorney General got away with her political prosecution of 15 innocent Michigan citizens for over the past two years.”
The electors targeted in the prosecution included a former Republican National Committeewoman and a former co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
“Alternate elector slates have been used for numerous previous presidential elections,” continued the statement from the MCU. “These 15 Republicans were actually protecting Michigan from potentially losing its Electoral votes in the 2020 election by submitting a backup slate should the then-legally contested voting outcome be overturned.”
Attorney General Nessel said the ruling was “disappointing” and said her office is considering filing an appeal.
“They knew they were not electors,” Nessel said of the Republicans. “They knew Donald Trump lost, but then they lied anyway. And that is a crime.”
“They did it. They beat the AG, and justice has been served,” wrote Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican, on social media.
“These folks endured years of a political witch hunt, targeted by Democrats, drained financially, and pushed to the limit emotionally. Today, justice prevailed and they’ve finally been vindicated against political weaponization!” he added.
Other attempted electors face similar charges in Nevada, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Arizona.
Judge Simmons was appointed by Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2019.
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