Former Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward and 11 other individuals are scheduled to be arraigned in a Phoenix courtroom on conspiracy, forgery, and fraud charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. The charges stem from their involvement in falsely declaring Donald Trump as the winner in Arizona, despite Joe Biden winning the state by over 10,000 votes.
Rudy Giuliani, former New York Mayor, is also set to be arraigned, with uncertainty surrounding a possible postponement. Arizona authorities faced challenges in serving Giuliani notice of the indictment, eventually succeeding on Friday night as he was leaving his 80th birthday celebration.
The indictment alleges that Ward organized fake electors and urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to recognize them as the state's legitimate electors. Despite legal challenges failing to alter the election outcome, Ward did not withdraw her vote as a fake elector.
John Eastman, an attorney involved in efforts to contest the election results, pleaded not guilty to the charges last week. While former President Trump was not charged in the Arizona case, he was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator.
Arizona is the fourth state where individuals linked to Trump have faced charges related to false claims of voter fraud following the 2020 election.
The 11 individuals claiming to be Arizona's Republican electors convened in December 2020 to sign a certificate asserting Trump's victory in the state. The document was submitted to Congress and the National Archives but was disregarded.
Those set to be arraigned include Ward, Tyler Bowyer, state Sen. Anthony Kern, Greg Safsten, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Nancy Cottle, Loraine Pellegrino, Michael Ward, attorneys Jenna Ellis and Christina Bobb, and Michael Roman.
Arraignments for other individuals, including state Sen. Jake Hoffman, former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, and Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn, are scheduled for June.
