Craig Mauger of Detroit News tweets this morning:
Stan Grot, one of the 16 “alternate” Trump electors in Michigan, told me last week that he believed an attorney from Washington, D.C., who was tied to Donald Trump, asked him to participate in the certificate signing.
That would be the phony document certifying Donald J. Trump electors as those duly chosen by Michigan voters in November 2020. Someone in federal law enforcement will be following up with Grot to obtain more detail on the who and the when of that contact with a Trump attorney. Grot’s phone records might shed light.
Mauger reports this morning:
The certificate is gaining new attention after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday night she had referred an investigation into the Trump electors’ actions to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Michigan. The Democratic attorney general specifically suggested charges of election law forgery and forgery of a public record could be considered.
“We have seen … various different false slates of electors from seven different states, which seems to be a coordinated effort between the Republican Parties in various different states,” Nessel said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.”
But there is more to the state’s investigation than forgery. Detroit News cites “an ongoing probe by Nessel’s office” into the events of Dec. 14, 2020 at the state capitol. “The Michigan electors have also drawn the attention of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol,” Mauger writes. After a “thorough review” by Nessel’s office, the state referred the matter to federal authorities. State charges remain a possibility.
Nessel appeared today on “Morning Joe” to discuss the investigation and potential charges. Her office has decided to hold off bringing charges pending review of federal authorities:
“It’s become clear to us from the work of the Jan. 6 commission,” Nessel said, “that this is really just one piece of a much larger puzzle involving not just Michigan, but multiple other states where Republican Party activists came together in their respective states and compiled this false slate of electors.”
It was not just political theater, Nessel said. They actually filed them with official authorities. There are multiple federal felonies at issue.
“Obviously, this is part of a much larger conspiracy,” Nessel said.