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This week’s criminal charges against former President Trump aren’t the first he’s faced for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss. But the indictment handed down this week in Fulton County, Georgia, also names 18 other defendants who allegedly helped in his efforts.
The indictment — the first count of which is a sweeping racketeering charge for the alleged conspiracy — also mentions 30 unindicted co-conspirators, and touches upon several elements of the scheme to overturn democracy, including the fake-electors plot, the attempted corruption of the U.S. Justice Department, and the alleged breach of voting equipment in Coffee County.
It’s yet another illustration of how wide-ranging the effort to undo Trump’s loss was, and many of the names should be familiar to those who have paid attention to the post-2020 election denial movement that spurred partisan investigations and voting machine breaches in other states.
- The Fulton indictment charges all five of the identified co-conspirators named in the Justice Department’s indictment from last month: Rudy Giuliani, Jeffrey Clark, Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman, and Sidney Powell.
- We previously obtained records showing a senior DOJ official’s handwritten notes on an email rejecting Clark’s plot to falsely tell state officials that the department was investigating “significant concerns” that could change the election results. On Clark’s draft letter to Georgia officials, a note says, “Rejected by OAG, ODAG + OLC,” referring to DOJ leadership under then-acting AG Jeffrey Rosen.
- We also previously obtained an audio recording of the December 2020 phone call between Trump and Georgia’s chief election investigator, in which he pressured her to find “the right answer.”
- Our investigation of the Arizona Senate’s biased “audit” of Maricopa County’s election revealed early communications between Giuliani and Senate President Karen Fann.
- We also uncovered details of the involvement of Trump campaign aide Mike Roman in the audit operation. Roman is one of the defendants charged in Fulton County.
The Washington Post took a look at the clues pointing to the potential identities of the Georgia unindicted co-conspirators who were tied to the Coffee County breach, offering other familiar names like Doug Logan, Stefanie Lambert, Phil Waldron, and others.
- Last week, we published text messages from the spring of 2021 that reveal a discussion of the plan to illegally access and tamper with voting machines in Michigan. The messages were exchanged by Logan and Lambert, the latter of whom was criminally charged in Michigan earlier this month for her alleged role in the effort.
- The records also suggest that data forensics firm SullivanStrickler — a firm hired by Trump’s attorneys to examine the machines in Coffee County — was also involved in the Michigan scheme.
Here are other headlines related to investigations of the former president’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election:
- Weary of harassment, Black female election workers in Ga. welcome Trump charges (Washington Post)
- Texas woman charged with threatening to kill judge in Trump election case (New York Times)
- Arizona 'audit' leader wants texts with Michigan lawyer indicted over voting machines to stay secret (Arizona Republic)
- Georgia and Colorado election security breaches part of same ongoing threat, Griswold says (Colorado Newsline)
- How Trump uses supporters’ donations to pay his legal bills (New York Times)
- Special counsel obtained Trump DMs despite ‘momentous’ bid by Twitter to delay, unsealed filings show (Politico)
- Trump supporters post names and addresses of Georgia grand jurors online (NBC News)
- Trump’s lawyers seek April 2026 start to Jan. 6 trial (New York Times)
On the Records
DeSantis Aide’s Communications with Right-Wing Media
Before joining Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, Christina Pushaw had served as the Florida governor’s press secretary, where she was known for her aggressive approach on social media, hostility toward mainstream journalists, and promotion of far-right policies. American Oversight recently obtained several examples of communications with conservative media from Pushaw’s time at the governor’s office:
- On April 6, 2022, Pushaw shared with Breitbart a local news article about an undocumented immigrant who caused a deadly car crash while driving under the influence. Pushaw wrote, “Notice how this media report OMITS any mention of the suspect’s immigration status.” A Breitbart editor wrote, “[L]et’s go huge on this ASAP.” The site published a story about the incident later that day.
- In an email from Jan. 3, 2022, a Fox News producer asked Pushaw if she could speak on TV about Covid-19. She wrote that she was unable to make it but suggested they invite Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo instead. The producer wrote, “I worry the doctor isn't political enough — the segment is more political than medical." Pushaw assured them that Ladapo “has been calling out the Biden Admin” and has “spoken about the harms of closing schools and making other irrational and harmful policies based on fear.”
- The documents contain many other examples of Pushaw’s friendly ties with right-wing outlets, including a February 2022 email in which she sent an embargoed press release to a list of far-right outlets like Breitbart, the Federalist, Epoch Times, and the Daily Wire.
Dismissing Concerns About Hand Counting Votes in Arizona
Arizona Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli has been working to convince counties to ban electronic voting machines and adopt unreliable hand counts. A June 2023 email we obtained shows Borrelli responding to a letter expressing concerns about hand counts with “HAHAHA.”
- In June, the Mohave County Board of Supervisors approved a measure to consider hand-counting all ballots in the 2024 election. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes sent a letter to board members outlining his concerns with hand counts.
- The next day, someone from board superintendent Travis Lingenfelter’s office forwarded “correspondence from Secretary Fontes” to Borrelli. The attachment likely was Fontes’ letter. “Yes I saw it. HAHAHA,” Borrelli responded.
- Earlier this month, the Mohave County Board of Supervisors voted against hand-counting ballots in 2024, citing concerns about cost and accuracy.
Other Stories We're Following
Election Denial and Voting Rights
- Inside the right’s effort to build a voter fraud hunting tool (NBC News)
- Meet “Eagle AI,” the Cleta Mitchell-backed MAGA mass voter challenge program (Documented)
- A wide-ranging North Carolina elections bill is advancing again at the General Assembly (Associated Press)
- Judge calls new Texas election law unconstitutional but state says it will appeal ruling (Associated Press)
- Georgia company pursues multistate voter registration cancellations (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- Chesapeake, Va. City Council removes early voting location in majority-Black area (Democracy Docket)
- Harris County’s election chief remains in legal limbo after judge rules that lawmakers can’t dissolve the position (Texas Tribune)
In the States
- Lawmakers form panel to examine 'government censorship' as Hobbs' requests draw scrutiny (Arizona Republic)
- Judge rules in favor of youths in landmark Montana climate trial (Washington Post)
- Hawaii’s top power utility accused of years of mismanagement before the deadly wildfires (NBC News)
- Texas names new head of child abuse investigations after high turnover and heavy criticism (Texas Tribune)
- New accusations: Ken Paxton used burner phone, secret email account, fake Uber name to hide ties to Nate Paul (Texas Tribune)
- Cut this, add that: Commenters on left, right criticize draft of 2024 Arizona 'election bible' (Arizona Republic)
- Advocates fight Florida law used to detain kids in crisis (The Appeal)
National News
- Court watchdog files complaint against a judge who ordered 'religious-liberty training' for lawyers (Associated Press)
- Trump co-defendant Carlos De Oliveira pleads not guilty in documents case (Washington Post)
LGBTQ Rights
- U.S. exempts Baylor University from Title IX sexual harassment rules (Washington Post)
- Veto overridden: Ban on gender-affirming care for minors takes effect in North Carolina (Associated Press)
- Tennessee hospital faces civil rights investigation over release of transgender health records (Associated Press)
- Nebraska judge rules in favor of abortion, gender-affirming care bans (The Hill)
- States that protect transgender health care now try to absorb demand (Associated Press)
- Indiana attorney general seeks info about gender-affirming care with subpoena-like demands (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
- Fairfax County schools defy Gov. Glenn Youngkin's new 'model policies' for transgender students (Fox 5, Washington, DC )
- U.S. appeals court blocks Idaho’s transgender student athlete ban (NBC News)
Abortion and Reproductive Rights
- Appeals court embraces abortion-pill limits, sets up Supreme Court review (Washington Post)
- Idaho professors say they change syllabi, self-censor abortion over fears of prosecution (ABC News)
- Even after Planned Parenthood stopped performing abortions, Texas is still trying to shut it down (Texas Tribune)
- Florida hits Orlando abortion clinic with $193K fine over waiting-period violations (WKMG)
- Ohio Supreme Court could reinstate 6-week abortion ban ahead of Nov. vote (Ohio Capital Journal)
Threats to Education
- AP African American studies canceled by Arkansas officials just before school begins (ABC News)
- Florida’s new higher education law faces legal challenges (Tampa Bay Times)
- Florida teachers are worried new policies could get them fired — or even criminally charged (NBC News)
- Chaos reigns at New College of Florida as fall semester nears (Inside Higher Ed)
- HISD terminates nearly two dozen special education contract workers, including school psychologists (Houston Chronicle)
- Texas revamps Houston schools, closing libraries and angering parents (New York Times)
- Cobb school board votes to fire teacher who read controversial book (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Government Transparency and Public Records Law
- Pima County's top prosecutor seeks limits on public record requests (Arizona Daily Star)
- As taxpayers pay more for DeSantis' travel and protection, new law conceals his travel (Palm Beach Post)
- Nebraska governor’s use of ‘executive privilege’ to withhold records troubles transparency advocates (Nebraska Public Media)
Immigration
- ‘Barbaric’ and ‘negligent’ treatment in ICE detention, inspections found (NPR)
- Barrels of drinking water for migrants walking through Texas have disappeared (Associated Press)
- Trump officials hatched the idea for the Rio Grande buoys that Texas now uses to block migrants (NBC News)
- GOP invokes Noah’s Ark in court to defend Rio Grande buoy barrier (Houston Chronicle)
- 3-year-old dies aboard migrant bus headed from Texas to Chicago (USA Today)
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