Kelli Ward, then chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, is seen during a rally on November 7, 2022 in Prescott, Arizona. Ward has now been charged by the state for her role as a so-called “fake voter” for Donald Trump.
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Kelli Ward, then chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, is seen during a rally on November 7, 2022 in Prescott, Arizona. Ward has now been charged by the state for her role as a so-called “fake voter” for Donald Trump.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
PHOENIX — An Arizona grand jury has indicted 11 Republicans who submitted documents falsely claiming that former President Donald Trump, not President Biden, won the state’s popular vote in 2020.
Seven other defendants were also charged, but their names were redacted in the copy of the original indictment released by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
According to Mayes, a grand jury indicted the voters on nine counts, including fraud, forgery and conspiracy.
“The people of Arizona elected President Biden,” Mayes said in a video. “Unwilling to accept this fact, the defendants charged by the state grand jury allegedly conspired to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency.”
The indictment also names a number of unindicted co-conspirators, including “a former President of the United States who spread false claims of election fraud after the 2020 election” – Trump – and other former members of the Arizona Legislature.
The action makes Arizona the fourth state where charges have been filed against individuals involved in so-called “fake voter” schemes aimed at undermining Biden’s victory over Trump.
Prosecutors in Georgia, Michigan and Nevada have already indicted people accused of participating in similar schemes in those states. In another swing state, Wisconsin, bogus voters admitted their role in civil settlements.
The list of indicted fake voters in Arizona includes several influential Republicans, including sitting senators Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern. Former Arizona Republican Party Chairman Kelli Ward, former party executive director Greg Safsten and RNC committeeman Tyler Bowyer also signed documents submitted to the federal government. Bowyer is also an executive at Turning Point USA, an Arizona-based right-wing advocacy group founded by Trump ally Charlie Kirk.
The indictments mark a significant step forward in an investigation that began a year ago after Mayes, a Democrat elected attorney general in 2022 by just 280 votes, took office in early 2023.
Some Democrats have criticized Mayes for the pace of that investigation, which has taken place largely behind closed doors as grand juries in other states have indicted alleged participants in the fake voter scheme.
But Mayes urged patience, noting that she took office after many officials followed the case in other states. His predecessor, Republican Mark Brnovich, did not investigate the matter.
“The investigators and attorneys assigned to this case have taken the time necessary to painstakingly piece together the details of the events that began nearly four years ago,” Mayes said.
There were, however, signs that the case was gaining momentum in recent months. In December, investigators met with former Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, who was accused of being the chief architect of the false election plot by the U.S. House Select Committee in the June 6 attack. January.
Chesebro pleaded guilty in Georgia to one count of conspiracy to file false documents. He agreed to testify in the case and also met with Nevada prosecutors. Chesebro also agreed to the civil settlement in Wisconsin, which required him to release records and documents detailing interactions with the Trump campaign over the fake voter scheme.
This is breaking news and will be updated.
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