In a recent development, former President Donald Trump has been identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in the ongoing investigation by Michigan’s Attorney General into the alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. This information was revealed by an investigator during a pretrial hearing in Lansing on Wednesday.
Other notable figures listed as unindicted co-conspirators include Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former lawyer, Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff under Trump, and Jenna Ellis, a former campaign lawyer for Trump.
The hearing was part of the ongoing case against some of Michigan’s alleged fake electors, who are being prosecuted by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Last summer, Nessel, a Democrat, charged 16 purported fake Republican electors from Michigan. One of the accused has already agreed to cooperate with Nessel’s prosecutors in exchange for having their charges dropped, while the remaining 15 defendants have all pleaded not guilty.
Howard Shock, a special agent and one of the lead investigators in Nessel’s probe, confirmed the involvement of Trump, Meadows, Giuliani, and Ellis when questioned by a defense attorney for one of the alleged fake electors.
Despite being named as co-conspirators, Trump, Giuliani, Meadows, and Ellis are not currently facing charges in Michigan. However, they have all been indicted in Georgia’s extensive 2020 election interference case. Ellis pleaded guilty in that case last year, while the others have denied any wrongdoing.
The state-level investigation in Michigan has primarily focused on the actions of the individual alleged fake electors, who were charged with felonies last summer. However, there have been indications that prosecutors are also examining the broader attempts to overturn the election results in Michigan, where Trump lost by approximately 155,000 votes.
Further developments in the case include the indictment of Trump’s allies in Arizona over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. This includes the alleged fake electors from that state and several individuals connected to his campaign. While Trump is not among those charged in Arizona, the details in the indictment suggest he is “Unindicted Coconspirator 1.”
State prosecutors in Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada have now charged at least some of the alleged fake electors in their states. Investigations are still ongoing in Wisconsin, while prosecutors in New Mexico and Pennsylvania have declined to bring charges.
This story will be updated as more details emerge.
Contributors: Zachary Cohen and Holmes Lybrand, CNN