Of the 16 Republican activists charged Monday, two are elected officials, one’s a licensed lawyer and a few are former or current farmers.
Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel announced criminal charges Tuesday against 16 Republicans who signed onto a false certificate alleging Donald Trump won Michigan’s electors in the November 2020 election.
Each of the individuals, including former Michigan Republican Party co-chair Meshawn Maddock, is facing eight felony charges in relation to the signing of the document and its submission to federal officials, including forgery as well as uttering and publishing.
More: 16 false Trump electors face felony charges in Michigan
An affidavit in support of the complaint prepared by Nessel’s office indicated the 16 « falsely asserted that they were the duly elected and qualified electors for president and vice president from the state of Michigan. »
Additionally, « they falsely asserted they met in the state Capital (sic) on December 14, 2020 at 2:00 p.m., » the document said.
Four of the false electors — Michele Lundgren, Meshawn Maddock, Marian Sheridan and Kenneth Thompson — appeared at the state Capitol Dec. 14, 2020, with Republican then-state Rep. Daire Rendon, who said the « electors » were there to cast votes, the document said. But they were turned away by the Michigan State Police.
Attorney Ian Northon attempted to deliver a manila envelope similar to the size of the certificate to the Michigan Senate, claiming it contained the Republican electoral votes, the filing said.
The document was later sent to the U.S. National Archives and the U.S. Senate Archives, according to the affidavit.
Of the 16 Republican activists charged, two are elected officials, one’s a licensed attorney and a few are former or current farmers.
Here’s what we know about each of the individuals facing charges:
Maddock is the immediate past co-chairwoman for the Michigan Republican Party, an outspoken Trump loyalist and longtime GOP grassroots activist.
She is a former board member of Women for Trump and a co-founder of the Michigan Conservative Coalition.
She is married to Rep. Matt Maddock, who is serving his third term in the Michigan House. Both Meshawn and Matt Maddock were in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2020, and Meshawn Maddock helped to organize buses for Michigan Republicans to travel to D.C. that day. But the couple maintain they left before rioting began at the Capitol.
Meshawn Maddock told individuals at a Stand Up Michigan event that Trump’s campaign had encouraged the 16 electors’ efforts.
« The Trump campaign asked us to do that, » Meshawn Maddock said, according to audio obtained by CNN.
Berden is Michigan’s Republican national committeewoman and was chairwoman for the GOP slate of electors at issue in the complaints filed by Nessel.
State officials have alleged Berden sent the false GOP electors’ certificate to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. archivist, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office and Robert Jonker, the chief judge of U.
