Arizona Republicans have lashed out at the state's attorney general after more than a dozen people, including several top allies of former President Donald Trump, were charged in connection to a fake electors plot to overturn the 2020 election results.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes revealed on Wednesday that 18 people have been charged with felony offenses including fraud, forgery, and conspiracy in connection with a scheme to falsely declare that Trump had beaten Joe Biden in the state in 2020.
The names of seven people, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and lawyers John Eastman, Christina Bobb and Jenna Ellis, are redacted in the indictment, but they are identifiable in the document or have issued statements condemning the charges against them.
The 11 names who are named include former Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, state Sen. Anthony Kern, and Jim Lamon, who ran for the U.S. Senate in Arizona in 2022. Trump has not been charged in the Arizona fake elector scheme but is listed as "Unindicted Coconspirator 1" throughout the document.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, condemning the charges, the Republican Party of Arizona accused Mayes' office of carrying out a "blatant abuse of legal authority aimed to disrupt, distract, and interfere" in the 2024 election, where Trump is the presumed GOP candidate.
"The timing of these charges—precisely four years after the 2020 election and as President Biden seeks re-election—is suspiciously convenient and politically motivated. This is not justice; it is pure election interference," the group added in a statement.
"The Arizona Republican Party condemns these actions in the strongest terms. They do nothing but undermine the trust in our state's legal processes and are clearly designed to silence dissent and weaponize the law against political opponents. We will not be deterred by this overreach. We will continue to stand for the principles of fairness and integrity that are the cornerstone of our Republic."
Abe Hamadeh, who lost the race to become Arizona's attorney general to Mayes by 280 votes in 2022, also accused the indictment of being "politically motivated."
"This politically motivated indictment is yet another glaring example of deranged Democrats openly engaging in electioneering through a weaponized justice system with one goal: take down President Donald J. Trump.
"The Biden Trials, reminiscent of Soviet-style show trials, demonstrate the top down marching orders to the rest of the radical leftists: if you can't win through legitimate means, abuse the justice system to suppress your opposition," Hamadeh said.
"Illegitimate Attorney General Kris Mayes and her Democrat allies are shamelessly engaging in selective prosecution and manipulating the law to suit their agenda while disregarding justice and fairness. We must stand firm against this tyranny and ensure the preservation of our nation."
The Arizona Young Republicans group also accused Mayers of carrying out "one of the most despicable and egregious abuses of power in our nation's history" following the announcement of the fake elector charges.
"We will not sit idly by while our rule of law is trampled upon to solidify one-party rule in our state and our country," they said.
Mayes' office has been contacted for comment via email outside of regular office hours.
In a video announcing the charges, Mayes said the defendants and other unindicted coconspirators allegedly attempted to "undermine the will of Arizona's voters" during the 2020 presidential election. Arizona, where President Joe Biden defeated Trump by just over 10,000 votes, was among seven states where Republicans are accused of acting as fake electors, allegedly signing documents falsely claiming Trump had won.
"Arizona's election was free and fair. The people of Arizona elected President Biden. Unwilling to accept this fact, the defendants charged by the state grand jury allegedly schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency," Mayes said. "Whatever their reasoning was, the plot to violate the law must be answered for and I was elected to uphold the law of this state."
In a statement to Newsweek, Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Giuliani, hit out at the "continued weaponization of our justice system" after charges were filed in Arizona.
"It's unfortunate to see so many so-called 'leaders' who are willing to eviscerate our entire justice system in their quest to take down the biggest threat to their grasp on power—President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime," Goodman said.
George Terwilliger, a lawyer representing Meadows, said he had not yet seen the indictment but told the Associated Press it is a "blatantly political and politicized accusation and will be contested and defeated."
Giuliani and Meadows, along with Trump and Eastman, have pleaded not guilty to all charges in a racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Former Donald Trump attorney Jenna Ellis—mentioned above—pleaded guilty to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings in October 2023. Trump, who has been charged as well, has denied any wrongdoing.
Arizona is the latest state to bring forward charges in connection with a fake elector schemes.
In July 2023, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office charged 16 people in connection to a fake elector plot to wrongly declare Trump the winner of the state in 2020. Each individual was accused of signing off on certificates with the false claim that Trump had won the state, which would have then been taken to Washington, D.C., and passed off as legitimate. Fifteen pleaded not guilty. Charges were dropped for one individual after a cooperation deal was reached, The Associated Press reported.
Six Republicans who allegedly submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Trump the winner of Nevada in the 2020 election were also charged in December 2023. They all pleaded not guilty.
That same month, a group of 10 Republicans who allegedly took part in a fake elector scheme in Wisconsin settled a civil lawsuit filed against them. Under the agreement, they admitted that Trump did not win the 2020 election.
Update 04/25/24 10:29 a.m. ET: This article's headline was updated.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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