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An Arizona state grand jury has indicted 18 individuals, including former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorney Rudy Giuliani, for their alleged involvement in a scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The indictment stems from an effort to create a slate of "fake electors" who would falsely declare Donald Trump the winner of Arizona's electoral votes.
The charges brought forward by Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes include nine felony counts of conspiracy, forgery, and fraud. The indictment alleges that 11 Republicans gathered in Phoenix on December 14, 2020, to sign a certificate declaring themselves Arizona's legitimate electors, despite Joe Biden winning the state's popular vote. The indictment details a conspiracy to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency, with the fraudulent document then sent to Congress and the National Archives.
Among those charged are several key Trump campaign aides and attorneys who played central roles in the nationwide effort to challenge the election outcome. While his name is redacted in the public filing, Donald Trump appears to be an unindicted co-conspirator in the case, following a pattern seen in other state-level investigations where he is implicated but not charged. The indictment also names other high-profile Trump allies who were instrumental in the post-election strategy.
Arizona is the fourth state to file criminal charges related to the fake elector scheme, following similar cases in Michigan, Nevada, and Georgia. The legal actions highlight a continuing accountability effort for the coordinated, multi-state attempt to interfere with the 2020 election. Several of the individuals indicted, including two sitting state senators, remain active in politics. Both Meadows and Giuliani face charges in other jurisdictions, notably in the sprawling election interference case in Georgia. These Arizona indictments add to the significant legal challenges facing figures from Trump's inner circle over their actions after the 2020 election.
