GOP leaders from the states served as “President” and “Secretary” on groups of fake electors designed to replace them if Republicans were successful in denying certification of the votes. The true electorate won by Joe Biden.
The plan didn’t work, and then Vice President Mike Pence certified the election results on January 6 when the congressional session reconvened after being interrupted by a pro-Trump crowd.
“The Selection Committee is seeking information on efforts in multiple states to overturn the results of the 2020 election, including the planning and coordination of efforts to submit false voter lists. to the National Archives,” said Representative Bennie Thompson, who chaired the committee, of this series of subpoenas. “We believe the individuals we have subpoenaed today have information about how these so-called alternate electors met and who is behind the scheme.”
In its subpoena letters, the panel said it possessed these fake voter certificates from the National Archives. The Commission also said it had documents showing that these delegations sent bogus electors to Congress “as a justification to delay or block election certification” and specifically to Pence considers in his role as Senate President as he certifies the 2020 presidential election. The panel received all of the more than 700 pages from the National Archives last week.
The committee subpoenaed the following president and secretary of each group known as alternate voters. Each pair of states is listed as president and secretary in turn:
- Nancy Cottle and Loraine Pellegrino from Arizona. Cottle is listed on the website of the Arizona Republican Federation of Women as vice president of the group.
- David Shafer and Shawn Still from Georgia. Shafer is the president of the Georgia GOP and is a plaintiff in some of Trump’s longstanding lawsuits aimed at overturning the Georgia election. Still the finance chair of the Georgia GOP and now running for a Georgia Senate seat.
- Kathy Berden and Mayra Rodriguez from Michigan. Berden is a national leader on the Republican National Committee and served as a Trump delegate to the 2016 GOP convention. Rodriguez ran unsuccessfully for the Michigan House seat in 2020.
- Jewll Powdrell and Deborah Maestas from New Mexico. Powdrell recently told The Albuquerque magazine he signed forged certificates at the behest of former Congressman Steve Pearce, head of the New Mexico GOP. Maestas before served in that role, leading the state’s GOP.
- Michael McDonald and James DeGraffenreid from Nevada. McDonald is the president of the Nevada GOP and reported promoted false voter fraud claims in 2020. DeGraffenreid’s Facebook page said he’s a national pledger from Nevada for the RNC.
- The committee subpoenaed Bill Bachenberg and Lisa Patton from Pennsylvania. Bachenberg is a board member of the National Rifle Association and said at a pro-Trump fundraiser in 2020.
- Andrew Hitt and Kelly Ruh from Wisconsin. Hitt is the former Chairperson of the Wisconsin GOP and an employee for former Governor Scott Walker. Ruh is now a street vendor from the city of De Pere.
The subpoena letters urge all individuals to provide documents by February 11, and appear to pay the money throughout February.
The “alternative” group of electors has become a major focus not only in the Select Committee investigation but also in other investigations. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told CNN this week that the Justice Department is reviewing the effort to determine if there was any criminal misconduct after receiving requests for an investigation from lawmakers. law and state officials.
The effort to declare fake constituencies is directly related to the Trump campaign. CNN reported that Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani coordinated efforts among Republicans in seven states to create bogus certificates that were eventually sent to the National Archives.
A source said there have been multiple planning calls between Trump campaign officials and GOP state agents, and that Giuliani was on at least one call. The source also said the Trump campaign has lined up supporters to fill constituency positions, secured boardrooms in the state for them to meet on December 14, 2020, and circulated the notices. drafts of fake certificates.
