Devendra Kumar
Donald Trump once again stands accused of trying to illegally overturn the 2020 election results to stay in power, and for the first time, some of his closest allies and advisers are facing criminal charges for their roles in the alleged scheme. The former president is the lead defendant in a parallel case in Georgia, charged with racketeering and other crimes alongside aides, associates, and others.
Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, attended White House meetings related to attempts to undo Trump’s election defeat. He allegedly helped fuel the conspiracy by making false statements, conspired with Trump to disrupt and delay the congressional certification of the electoral votes, and tried to pressure a chief investigator in the Georgia secretary of state’s office to speed up the Fulton County signature verification. Meadows’ attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former personal lawyer, was involved in litigation that was rejected by courts and falsely claimed in testimony at local hearings in Georgia that he was in possession of evidence proving election fraud. The indictment alleges he made numerous false statements about election fraud, including to officials in other states, to convince them to approve an alternative slate of electors to keep Trump in power. Giuliani’s attorney declined to comment.
John Eastman, Trump’s lawyer, was under scrutiny by both the US special counsel’s office and state prosecutors in Georgia for penning a series of legal memos claiming that former Vice President Mike Pence could reject electors from certain states to deny Democrat Joe Biden a majority of Electoral College votes. The indictment alleges he was part of a plot to appoint fake electors. Eastman’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
Other individuals charged alongside Trump include Jeffrey Clark, a former high-ranking Justice Department official who sought to persuade Trump to oust Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and pursue Trump’s false claims of voter fraud; Sidney Powell, a Trump campaign attorney accused of tampering with electronic ballot markers and tabulators and computer theft; and Kenneth Chesebro, a Trump campaign attorney accused of helping devise a plan to submit fake slates of electors.
Jenna Ellis, a former legal adviser and counsel to Trump, was part of the Trump campaign’s legal team that falsely claimed widespread voter fraud in 2020. The indictment alleges she was part of an effort to get false electors appointed by state lawmakers. Ellis’ attorney declined to comment.
David Shafer, the former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, allegedly played a key role in organizing and executing the plan to submit an alternate slate of electors. Shafer is among those charged with mailing a fake certificate of the so-called Trump electors to a federal courthouse and other offenses tied to the fake elector plot. His lawyers claim he is “totally innocent” of the charges.
Other individuals charged include Michael Roman, who worked for Trump’s 2020 campaign and allegedly played a role in orchestrating the fake elector plot, and Trevian Kutti, a publicist who traveled to Georgia days before the January 6th, 2021, riot and showed up uninvited at the door of Ruby Freeman, an election worker. In an Instagram post, Kutti denied pressuring Freeman to falsely admit fraud.
The article also mentions Harrison Floyd, a Trump campaign aide who recruited Kutti to meet with Freeman, and Stephen Lee, a former police officer who allegedly sought Floyd’s help with Freeman.