Trump and multiple Michigan Republicans named ‘unindicted co-conspirators’ in fake electors case

An investigator for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office has identified multiple individuals, including former President Donald Trump as “unindicted co-conspirators” as preliminary examination in the Michigan fake electors case continued on Wednesday. 

Special Investigator Howard Shock confirmed that alongside the former president, Trump lawyers Jenna Ellis and Rudy Giuliani; Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; Chris Velasco, who worked for Trump’s campaign in Michigan; and Kenneth Chesebro, who pleaded guilty in Georgia for helping to organize the multi-state fake electors plot, were among the list of unindicted co-conspirators in the investigation. 

Former Michigan Republican Party Chair Laura Cox, Republican strategist Stu Sandler, GOP former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard and his wife, Jenell Leonard, who owns the Lansing-based Marketing Resource Group (MRG) that does public polling, were also among those identified. 

“I have been informed that my name was presented in a false and derogatory manner in open court,” Tom Leonard told the Advance in an emailed statement.

“I would expect the Attorney General to move swiftly, as ethically required, to correct the testimony whether intentionally misleading or mistaken,” he said.

Leonard was defeated by now-Attorney General Dana Nessel in the 2018 election. He sought the GOP nomination again in 2022, but lost at the Michigan GOP convention to attorney Matt DePerno, who has been charged in a separate case regarding tampering with voting equipment after the 2020 election. Nessel won the 2022 election against DePerno. 

Sandler did not respond to a request for comment; nor did the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. 

In December, Cox testified that she was against ideas within the party to submit false results for the election.

Wednesday marked the final day of examinations for Michigan GOP National Committeewoman Kathleen Berden, former Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock, Amy Facchinello, John Haggard, Mari-Ann Henry and Michele Lundgren, six of the 15 individuals facing charges in the fake electors case. 

Lundgren has filed as a Republican to challenge state House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) in the 2024 election. 

Examinations will resume on May 28 for the remaining nine defendants. 

While 16 individuals were initially charged for allegedly submitting false electoral votes for Donald Trump to the U.S. Senate and National Archives, the charges against James Renner were dropped in October as part of a cooperation agreement with the Michigan Attorney General. 

Judge in fake electors case warns social media posts during court could rise to criminal charges

Each defendant faces eight counts including charges of forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, uttering and publishing, conspiracy to commit uttering and publishing, election law forgery and conspiracy to commit election law forgery. The forgery-related charges each carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, while the election law charges carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. 

Another 18 people were charged in Arizona on Wednesday as part of the fake electors plot, in which groups from seven states submitted false documents claiming Trump won the 2020 election.

While the names of seven individuals charged were redacted, the Arizona Mirror reported the identities of many the redacted defendants were obvious, and included Trump, Giuliani, Meadows, and Mike Roman, director of Election Day operations for the Trump campaign.