One of the individuals who signed on as a claimed Trump-backing member of the electoral college from Michigan has appeared to directly implicate a lawyer working for Trump in the scheme — although that individual, Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot, does not appear to have named the believed-to-be Trump-affiliated person with whom he spoke. After the 2020 presidential election, a group of Republicans gathered for the purpose of preparing a supposed alternate slate of electoral college votes in Trump’s favor from Michigan, where Biden won, although these Republicans’ efforts had no legal recognition. Recently, Michigan state Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) said that she’d referred the matter to federal authorities and noted that those involved may have committed criminal acts including forgery of public records.
As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, it’s important to look to the lessons of our past as we work to shape a future that is inclusive of everyone. pic.twitter.com/QWAVxPfLrw
— Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (@MIAttyGen) January 17, 2022
Grot, The Detroit News explains, “was one of the 16 GOP electors who signed the certificate claiming Trump had won the state,” adding: “Grot said he was asked to show up in Lansing and sign a document. The clerk said he believed he had gotten a call from an attorney working on behalf of Trump in Washington, D.C.” In theory, the involvement of a lawyer working on Trump’s behalf in an effort to essentially falsify electoral votes from Michigan could provide support for a potential recommendation to the Justice Department to prosecute Trump and others for perpetrating a criminal conspiracy. The House committee investigating the Capitol riot has been reported to be considering such a recommendation, among other moves.
"Once those individuals see they could possibly be facing prison time, I do think we're going to see some people flip and we'll get some further information as to who orchestrated this in the first place," AG Dana Nessel says about fake electors probe.https://t.co/vUMWJEozYZ
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 14, 2022
The Detroit News revealed in the same report that discussed Grot that planning around the preparation of those falsified electoral votes reached the point that Trump supporters in the state examined ways in which the Republicans claiming to be electoral college members could get inside the Michigan state Capitol on the day when actual electoral college members were supposed to meet. The publication notes that “sources said a group of Trump supporters contemplated working with a Republican lawmaker who had a Capitol office to get the 16 Trump electors inside or finding a way inside before the building was sealed off.” Some of the Republicans involved in this effort showed up at the state Capitol on the day that actual electoral college members were meeting, but law enforcement turned them away.
"The decision [to refer the matter to federal prosecutors] does not preclude possible state charges against the Republicans who falsely claimed that they cast Michigan’s Electoral College votes for Trump. Nessel said her office might still bring charges."https://t.co/seEfmhe1J0
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) January 14, 2022
The preparation of alternate slates of electoral votes from certain states was part of a plan put forward for blocking Biden’s win by conservative lawyer John Eastman, who garnered the backing of Trump himself. A memo from Eastman “laid out a six-step plan for Pence to overturn the election for Trump, which included throwing out the results in seven states because they allegedly had competing electors,” CNN notes, adding: “In fact, no state had actually put forward an alternate slate of electors — there were merely Trump allies claiming without any authority to be electors.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says she believes the 16 Republicans who submitted forged 2020 election documents violated both state and federal laws.
"This really is just one piece of a much larger puzzle involving not just Michigan, but multiple other states." @MSNBC
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 17, 2022
