Donald Trump Fake Elector Case Dismissed by Nevada Judge

A Nevada judge dismissed an indictment against six Republicans accused of submitting false certificates declaring Donald Trump the winner of the state's 2020 election.

This potentially reduces the number of states with pending charges against fake electors from four to three, according to CNN.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford plans to appeal the ruling, as Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus deemed Las Vegas an inappropriate venue.

Ford intends to take the case to the state Supreme Court, while defense attorneys argue the Nevada fake electors case is over due to a statute of limitations that expired in December.

Case Dismissed Due to Wrong Venue

Margaret McLetchie, attorney for defendant Jesse Law, declared the case dead, stating that filing charges in another venue like Carson City would violate the statute of limitations.

Judge Holthus canceled a January trial involving state GOP chairman Michael McDonald and others accused of felonies with penalties of up to five years in prison, CBS News reports.

Defense attorneys argued that the Nevada fake electors case should have been brought to Carson City or Reno, where the alleged crimes occurred.

Deputy State Attorney General Matthew Rashbrook argued that the crimes affected society and voters statewide.

Still, Judge Holthus decided the relevant activities occurred in northern Nevada.

After the hearing, Hindle's attorney, Brian Hardy, did not comment on calls for Hindle's resignation from his position as overseer of elections in Storey County.

Defendant Shawn Meehan, who ran for state attorney general in 2022 and lost to Ford by just under 8%, chose not to seek the delegate position to the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Background of the Case

Nevada is one of seven battleground states where fake electors falsely certified Donald Trump's 2020 victory, Newsweek noted.

The other states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Nevada fake electors case, filed last December, involved six defendants, while other states have many more: 16 in Michigan, 19 in Georgia, and 18 in Arizona.

Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer who pleaded guilty in Georgia, cooperated with Nevada prosecutors and was not charged.

He testified before the Las Vegas grand jury, explaining his role in the scheme and how Nevada was particularly challenging due to oversight and lack of a pending legal challenge.

Donald Trump lost Nevada by over 30,000 votes to Biden, and the state's Democratic electors certified the results.

Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske defended the election's integrity and faced censure by the state GOP but found no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud in a subsequent investigation.

After the dismissal, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford's office confirmed plans to appeal.

A spokesperson stated, "We disagree with the judge's decision and will be appealing immediately."

Donald Trump supporters celebrated on social media, with Ryan Fournier of Students for Trump tweeting about justice prevailing.

Nevada RNC committeewoman Sigal Chattah also supported the court's decision on Twitter.

Ford's office emphasized their focus on appealing and exploring other legal strategies to hold the defendants accountable for actions they believe aimed to undermine democracy.

Communications director John Sadler noted that appealing the judge's decision is not the only legal strategy available to their office.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Ross Key

WATCH: Nevada charges pro-Trump fake electors accused of attempting to overturn 2020 election - From PBS NewsHour