Georgia prosecutors say all 16 fake Trump electors are targets in criminal probe

The Atlanta-area prosecutors scrutinizing former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia said Tuesday that all 16 of the “fake electors” who participated in a plan to subvert the Electoral College are now targets of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Court documents filed late Tuesday reveal Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has informed all 16 of the individuals who signed an “unofficial electoral certificate” that was ultimately sent to the National Archives in late 2020 they may be indicted in the probe.
The significant development indicates prosecutors are moving closer to possible criminal charges against those involved in the effort. It also suggests the probe may be drawing closer to Trump himself, as it comes on the heels of subpoenas that were issued to several members of the former President’s legal team who took part in overseeing the effort to overturn the election results in Georgia and other key battleground states.
Atlanta-area DA tells Georgia GOP chair he could be indicted in election probe
Atlanta-area DA tells Georgia GOP chair he could be indicted in election probe
“Each of the sixteen persons who signed the unofficial Elector Certificate ultimately submitted to the National Archives received a similar target letter alerting, that person both that his testimony was required by the special purpose grand jury and that he was a target of the investigation,” prosecutors said Tuesday.

Court filings earlier Tuesday had revealed that 11 of the 16 fake GOP electors received letters notifying them that they were targets of the investigation, and not merely witnesses.
Willis’ office informed lawyers for those fake electors that the status change from witness to target was the result of “new evidence” that has come to light over the course of the probe.
“As our investigation has matured and new evidence has come to light, in a spirit of integrity we feel it only fitting to inform you that your clients’ status has changed to ‘Target,'” Willis’ office said, according to a defense filing.
The Trump campaign’s role in creating false election documents as a way to supplant Joe Biden’s win in Georgia has come under increasingly scrutiny by prosecutors in Georgia, as well as the Justice Department in recent months. CNN previously reported that Trump campaign officials oversaw efforts to put forward illegitimate electors in seven swing states Trump lost. The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection has linked the effort to Trump’s “seven-part plan” to overturn the election that culminated in the US Capitol attack.

That plan, according to the committee, included the fake electors, a pressure campaign on then-Vice President Mike Pence to stop the counting of electoral votes, and the assembly of a violent mob that Trump directed to march to the Capitol.
Attorneys for the electors say they are moving to “quash” grand jury subpoenas for appearances beginning on July 25, calling them “unreasonable and oppressive.”