The second cohort of Michigan Republicans charged with submitting false electoral votes for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election were scheduled to be in Lansing district court Tuesday morning, but the complexity and sheer volume of issues to be decided pushed their cases out for more than two months.
It’s tough making history.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office, which is heading the criminal prosecution of the 15 defendants, asserts that the group willfully signed several documents falsely claiming they were the state’s rightful electors in 2020, submitting false electoral votes to Washington, D.C.
Wow. 15! That’s like a clasroom full of people. That’s like two hospital elevators crammed with people. Five sedans full of defendants or two airport-hotel shuttle vans, if you like. Maybe some of you should be making like an ostrich at this point.
Oh, BTW, there were 16 defendants but James Renning had charges dropped as a part of a plea-bargaining deal. Oh, and defendant Timothy King “has been referred for a competency exam.”
Emphasis on the following names is mine. I want you all to read the names of your neighbors that would defraud you and your country… allegedly, of course. There will be a quiz afterward.
The first six of the 15 individuals —
- Michigan GOP National Committeewoman Kathleen Berden
- Amy Facchinello
- John Haggard
- Mari-Ann Henry
- Michele Lundgren
- former Michigan GOP Co-chair Meshawn Maddock
— began their hearings in Lansing’s 54A District Court in December, and are scheduled to resume on Feb. 11 and 12.
On Tuesday, the cases of the remaining eight defendants —
- William (Hank) Choate
- Clifford Frost
- Stanley Grot
- Mayra Rodriguez
- Rose Rook
- Marian Sheridan
- Ken Thompson
- and [
exmayor of Wyoming, MI,] Kent Vanderwood— came before Ingham County Judge Kristen Simmons, who quickly informed the attorneys and their clients (most of whom were appearing via Zoom) that the start of their preliminary exams were being delayed.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office says the criminal charges, which include multiple counts of forgery stem from the group’s decision to meet at the Michigan Republican Party headquarters in Lansing on Dec. 14, 2020, and sign several documents claiming to be the state’s rightful electors, and submit the state’s electoral votes for Trump. They were not the rightful electors.
Here’s a nice scorecard courtesy of WXMI Fox17 Grand Rapids.