Rudolph W. Giuliani and 10 other allies of Donald J. Trump were arraigned on Tuesday morning in an Arizona criminal case that charges them with trying to keep Mr. Trump in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election. A total of 50 people, including Mr. Trump, now face charges related to election interference in four states. Trump allies have already pleaded guilty or reached cooperation agreements in Georgia and Michigan. Those charged in the Arizona case face charges of conspiracy, fraud, and forgery, and have all pleaded not guilty so far. Others, including Boris Epshteyn and Mark Meadows, will be arraigned next month.
John Eastman, who helped hatch a plan to deploy fake electors for Trump in states he lost, was the first to be arraigned in the Arizona case. Mr. Eastman pleaded not guilty. Trump, listed as “Unindicted Co-conspirator 1” in the indictment, has not been charged in this case. Giuliani had evaded efforts to serve him his notice of indictment until he was finally served on his 80th birthday. Giuliani posted on social media, stating he had done nothing wrong. Thomas F. Jacobs, a lawyer for another defendant, said he believed the case was politically motivated and flawed, questioning its chances of success in front of a jury.
The case accuses individuals, including fake Trump electors and Trump advisers, of conspiracy to interfere with the election results in Arizona. Similar charges have been brought in other states as well. Cases are not expected to go to trial before November, meaning the legal battle over Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results will continue beyond the 2024 election. Giuliani was directly involved in attempting to reverse Trump’s loss in Arizona, pressuring officials to review the vote. Republican Rusty Bowers testified about Giuliani’s claims of fraud and attempts to decertify election results.
Kelli Ward, a former head of the Arizona Republican Party, was involved in efforts to delay certifying election results in Maricopa County. She and her husband acted as fake electors, facing charges in the case. Defendants have generally not challenged evidence of their actions to keep Trump in power, instead relying on First Amendment rights or immunity defenses. Brad Miller, a lawyer for the Ward couple, stated that acting as pro-Trump electors was a legal exercise of their right to peaceful protest and to seek redress from the government. The legal battle continues, and more arraignments are expected in the coming months.
The ongoing legal battles over the 2020 election results reflect the controversy and division that followed Trump’s defeat. Despite facing charges, defendants like Giuliani maintain their innocence and challenge the legitimacy of the case against them. The charged individuals, including high-profile Trump allies, are accused of participating in a conspiracy to manipulate election results in multiple states. The legal proceedings shed light on the extent to which some were willing to go to overturn the election outcome in favor of Trump. The cases are likely to continue well into the future, keeping alive the debate over the validity of the 2020 election.
