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1 of 2 | Former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani is 1 of respective defendants whose names were redacted successful an indictment announced Wednesday charging 18 group pinch a strategy to overturn nan 2020 wide election. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
April 25 (UPI) -- A expansive assemblage successful Arizona has indicted 18 Republican friends of erstwhile President Donald Trump, including lawyer Rudy Giuliani and erstwhile White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, connected charges of attempting to illegally overturn nan results of nan 2020 election.
The nine-count indictment, announced Wednesday, focuses connected an alleged strategy to support Trump president done nan usage of clone electors, which was an integral portion of his scheme to stay successful nan White House.
Several attorneys wide person been investigating nan clone elector strategy since November 2020, pinch 4 states now bringing guardant indictments.
The tribunal archive announced Wednesday names 11 Republicans accused of masquerading arsenic nan state's statesmanlike electors, contempt Joe Biden winning nan authorities by much than 10,000 votes.
According to nan indictment, nan rule prohibits statesmanlike electors to ballot for anyone different than nan certified victor of nan election, and nan alleged clone electors intended to formed mendacious votes for Trump to promote then-Vice President Mike Pence to cull Biden's morganatic electors for nan state.
When Arizona's mendacious electors were mixed pinch those of six different states, nan defendants sought to unit Pence to either state Trump nan outright victor of nan election, hold nan proceeding and person individual authorities legislatures find their electors aliases person Congress find nan validity of nan predetermination results successful nan states for nan then-outgoing president, nan tribunal archive states.
The name's of 7 different defendants are redacted successful nan indictment arsenic they person yet been served, Giuliani and Meadows included.
However, their identities are clear.
The archive states nan strategy was "to forestall nan lawful transportation of nan presidency to support Unindicted Co-conspirator 1 successful agency against nan will of Arizona's voters," meaning Trump.
It besides points to Giuliani, arsenic it states 1 of nan defendants was a lawyer to Unindicted Co-conspirator 1 "who was often identified arsenic 'The Mayor.'" Giuliani was Trumps' erstwhile individual lawyer and is simply a erstwhile politician of New York City.
Meadows is identified done his position arsenic main of White House unit successful 2020.
"We're present because justness demands an reply to nan efforts that nan defendants and different unindicted co-conspirators allegedly took to undermine nan will of Arizona's voters during nan 2020 statesmanlike election," Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayers said successful a recorded statement.
"The defendants charged by nan authorities expansive assemblage allegedly schemed to forestall nan lawful transportation of nan presidency. Whatever they're reasoning was, nan crippled to break nan rule must beryllium answered for."
She said if nan strategy had succeeded, Arizonans would person been deprived of their correct to person their ballot count.
The charges see felony counts of fraud, forgery and conspiracy.
The indictment states that pursuing nan election, nan 11 Republican electors, plotting pinch electors from different states, voted for Trump connected Dec. 14, 2020, and signed a mendacious archive claiming to beryllium nan "duly elected and qualified electors for president and vice president of nan United States from nan State of Arizona."
A little video of nan meeting remains connected nan Facebook page of nan Arizona Republican Party.
The signed mendacious archive was past revenge by nan Arizona Republican electors pinch nan archivist of nan United States and Congress.
Mayers explained nan defendants lied to Arizona voters by stating their votes were contingent only connected a ineligible challenge.
"The defendants intended nan mendacious votes for Trump and Pence would promote Vice President Pence to cull nan certified Biden-Harris electors' votes sloppy of nan consequence of immoderate ineligible challenge," she said.
"As you will recall, nary of nan ineligible challenges revenge successful Arizona authorities and national courts regarding nan 2020 predetermination were remotely successful."
The strategy came to an extremity connected Jan. 6, 2021, erstwhile Congress certified Biden's predetermination triumph and which Pence accepted.
Indictments successful nan alleged clone elector strategy person besides been revenge successful Michigan, Georgia and Nevada.
