Nevada judge throws out case against six Republicans over forged 2020 election certificate
A Las Vegas judge dismissed the prosecution of six Nevada Republicans accused of submitting a false electoral certificate that claimed Donald Trump won the state in 2020.
A Nevada judge dismissed the multi-year case against six state Republicans who were accused of creating and submitting a fraudulent certificate that declared Donald Trump the winner of Nevada’s 2020 presidential election. The defendants, among them Nevada Republican Party chair Michael McDonald and former Clark County Republican Party chair Jesse Law, maintained the act was political theater and denied intent to deceive.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, also a Democratic candidate for governor, pursued forgery and false-instrument charges, while the defendants pleaded not guilty. The decision mirrors recent dismissals in Arizona, Michigan and Georgia, and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes plans to seek a new grand jury indictment. Prosecutors argued the fake certificate was meant to be counted by then-Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 6, 2021. A separate fake-elector case continues in Wisconsin, marking another setback for efforts to hold fake electors accountable.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights the difficulty of prosecuting the 2020 fake-elector scheme and its limited legal repercussions.
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