Topline
Six Nevada Republicans were indicted Wednesday for submitting a false slate of electors after the 2020 election that claimed former President Donald Trump won the state, the state’s attorney general announced, making Nevada the third state where GOP officials have now faced criminal charges for the “fake” elector scheme.
Key Facts
A grand jury indicted six Republicans who “falsely represented themselves as state electors,” Attorney General Aaron Ford announced Wednesday, less than a month after reports first emerged the state was investigating the scheme.
Nevada is one of seven states where Republican officials met after the 2020 election to vote on a false slate of electors that claimed former President Donald Trump won their states—along with Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—which were submitted to Congress as part of the Trump campaign’s broader plan to block Congress from certifying the election results on Jan. 6, 2021.
The electors face charges of offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument, according to the Washington Post, which carry potential penalties of between one and five years in prison and maximum fines of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.
Prosecutors brought the charges days before the statute of limitations was set to expire on Dec. 14, the Post notes, which marks three years since the Republican electors met and voted on the false slates.
Crucial Quote
“We cannot allow attacks on democracy to go unchallenged,” Ford said in a statement Wednesday. “Today’s indictments are the product of a long and thorough investigation, and as we pursue this prosecution, I am confident that our judicial system will see justice done.”
What To Watch For
It’s still unclear if the attorney general could bring further charges as part of Ford’s investigation into the aftermath of the 2020 election, or if the criminal charges will be limited to the fake elector scheme. Investigations into false electors also remain ongoing in Arizona and New Mexico.
Surprising Fact
The charges against the electors mark a reversal for Ford, who previously testified during a May hearing he did not believe any of the state’s statutes could address the electors’ misconduct and they would not be charged. Reports then emerged in November he had backtracked on his remarks and was now investigating the scheme.
This story is breaking and will be updated.