Las Vegas — A judge ruled Monday that six Republicans accused of presenting certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the victor of Nevada's 2020 presidential election won't be tried until early next year.
Due to conflicting schedules, Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus moved the trial from this month to Jan. 13, 2025, and set a hearing for next month to evaluate the defendants' motion to dismiss the indictment.
State GOP chairman Michael McDonald, national party committee member Jim DeGraffenreid, Clark County party chair Jesse Law, Storey County clerk Jim Hindle, Shawn Meehan, and Lake Tahoe party member Eileen Rice are the accused.
Each is charged with presenting a fraudulent instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument, crimes with four- or five-year prison sentences.
McDonald's lawyer, Richard Wright, claims that Nevada state Attorney General Aaron Ford launched the case in Las Vegas instead of Carson City, the state capital, and refused to submit grand jury evidence that would have exonerated his clients. They also claim insufficient proof and that their clients did not intend to commit a crime.
Joe Biden defeated Trump in Nevada by almost 30,000 votes in 2020. Republican Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske defended the results as credible and accurate, leading the state GOP to condemn her. Democratic electors confirmed the results in her presence. After investigating, Cegavske found no convincing evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state.
Nevada is one of seven presidential battleground states where Republican slates erroneously certified Trump's victory. Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin.
Michigan and Georgia charged criminals. Ten Wisconsin Republicans posing as electors and two attorneys resolved a lawsuit. Last month, New Mexico's Democratic attorney general ruled that five Republicans cannot be punished under state law.
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