By GABE STERN Associated Press/Report for America
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada grand jury indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election in their state, making Nevada the third to seek charges against so-called “fake electors.”
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford began investigating the fake electors last month. He said in a statement Wednesday that he would do everything in his power to defend the institutions of the nation and the state.
The announcement of the indictment represented a shift for Ford, who was quiet on whether he would investigate the fake electors before saying that state law would not allow him to do so.
Ford had testified in support of a bill that would have criminalized future fake electors. That passed Nevada’s Democratic-controlled Legislature but was vetoed by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who said the punishment between four and 10 years in prison was too harsh.
In December 2020, six Nevada GOP members signed certificates falsely stating that Trump won Nevada and sent them to Congress and the National Archives, where they were ultimately ignored. The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol investigated the role that these fake electors in key battleground states had in Trump’s attempt to cling to power after his 2020 defeat.
Trump supporters signed certificates that falsely stated he won their states in seven battleground states. The fake certificates were ignored, but the attempt has been subject to investigations.
