An investigator for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel testified in a state court on Wednesday that former President Donald Trump, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows are “unindicted co-conspirators” in state prosecution of alternative 2020 electors. In two days of testimony, Howard Shock — a special agent in the Attorney General‘s office — has identified at least 11 individuals as alleged co-conspirators despite no charges being filed against them. Mike Roman, the director of the Trump campaign’s election-day operations, was also listed.
In July of last year, Nessel secured indictments against 16 individuals — alleging eight felonies — her office says engaged in forgery as part of a plot to falsely claim Trump won the 2020 Michigan presidential election. While the Attorney General’s office says the investigation into their allegations remains ongoing, preliminary examinations in the prosecution began last week. Shock revealed the identities of the unindicted co-conspirators while being questioned by Duane Silverthorn, who represents one of the defendants.
Among the other uncharged alleged co-conspirators named by Shock are former Michigan GOP chairwoman Laura Cox, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, the Speaker’s wife Jenell Leonard, and Republican consultant Stu Sandler. Details regarding each co-conspirator’s alleged involvement were not revealed to the court.
“I stand by the sound legal advice I gave, and these partisan lawfare prosecutions have to stop,” Sandler said, responding to the revelations he was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator. He added: “Why in five years of Dana Nessel are only Republicans the continuing targets of these partisan lawfare prosecutions?”
With the preliminary examination concluding on Wednesday, Ingham County District Court Judge Kristen Simmons will now weigh whether Nessel presented enough evidence indicating probable cause that a crime had been committed.
show less
