Friday, June 16, 2023

"Fake Electors Scheme" Grand Jury Moving Ahead

 



The other grand jury Special Counsel Jack Smith is overseeing is looking into the Malignant Loser's attempted coup on January 6, 2021, including his "fake electors" scheme.  That activity is moving ahead with all deliberate speed:

With Donald Trump set to appear in Miami for one set of federal charges, back in Washington, another grand jury investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s efforts to stay in office is also moving ahead in full force. 

Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald, a close Trump political ally, as well as Jim DeGraffenreid, the state party’s vice chair, were spotted by NBC News entering the area where the Jan. 6 jury is meeting at the Washington federal courthouse Tuesday.

When asked about having to appear the same day as Trump’s court date, McDonald joked to an NBC News reporter: “Not on my bucket list.” McDonald had previously confirmed to NBC News that federal authorities seized his cellphone as part of the investigation. 

The appearance comes a week after former Trump White House official Steve Bannon was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Washington in connection with special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Jan. 6. The Bannon subpoena, for documents and testimony, was sent out late last month, the sources said.

In addition, at least one former Trump White House aide testified on June 1 before the grand jury, hearing evidence about the former president in its ongoing investigation surrounding the election, according to a source familiar with the appearance. The testimony focused on Trump's firing of Christopher Krebs in 2020. At the time, Krebs led the federal government’s election cybersecurity efforts and debunked false claims of election fraud and hacking.  [snip]

McDonald has a close personal friendship with Trump, and in recent months, he had visited Mar-a-Lago as part of a Nevada delegation Trump was courting for endorsements. McDonald had testified before the Jan. 6 Select Committee, where he invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 200 times.

Both McDonald and DeGraffenreid served as so-called fake electors, slates of electors who in most cases signed certification documents purporting that Trump had won in their states even though he had lost. 

With the rogues gallery of Malignant Loser coup plotters involved (Bannon, Rudy "Toot Toot" Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Ginni Thomas, etc.), this investigation has an even more crazy town vibe to it than the classified documents investigation and indictment.  Because the scheme also involved MAGAts like McDonald and DeGraffenreid in seven closely contested states, the Special Counsel will be looking to get as many plotters as possible to cooperate in order to provide a clear evidentiary trail leading directly to the Malignant Loser and the rest of the coup cabal.  Without doubt, this is going to be a complex, difficult case to bring to trial, but we have faith in the grand jury, the Special Counsel and his team to get the job done.

(Image:  via AmericanOversight.org)


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