Allies of President Donald Trump on Tuesday secured a major legal victory from a Democratic-appointed judge in Michigan.
Michigan District Court Judge Kristen Simmons dismissed charges against 15 Republicans accused by prosecutors of attempting to falsely certify Trump as the winner of the 2020 election.
Following Trump’s 2020 loss to Joe Biden, several of his supporters went to Michigan and signed documents claiming they were casting their state’s electoral vote for the Republican leader.
The documents signed by the ‘fake electors’ were then submitted to the National Archives and later cited by Trump’s supporters, who urged Congress not to certify the election results on January 6th, 2021.
Simmons, who was appointed to the court by Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, said the Republican defendants ‘seriously believed’ there was fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
‘I believe they were executing their constitutional right to seek redress,’ the judge wrote.
‘Right, wrong or indifferent, it was these individuals and many other individuals in the state of Michigan that sincerely believed that for some reason there were some serious irregularities with the election.’
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in 2023 charged 15 individuals on multiple criminal counts, including forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, and election law forgery.
Judge Kristen Simmons dismissed charges against 15 Republicans accused by prosecutors of attempting to falsely certify Trump as the winner of the 2020 election in Michigan
Tuesday’s ruling in Michigan is a major legal victory for Trump allies who supported his claims of fraud during the 2020 election
The documents signed by the ‘fake electors’ were then submitted to the National Archives and later cited by Trump’s supporters, who urged Congress not to certify the election results on January 6th, 2021
All the defendants, which included former Michigan GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock, maintained their innocence throughout the trial.
Prosecutors during the initial indictment dropped charges against a 16th individual after the defendant agreed to cooperate with the attorney general’s office.
During her ruling, Simmons said the defendants lacked the ‘sophistication’ to carry out the crimes outlined by the prosecution.
‘The prosecution would like the court to believe that these named defendants were savvy or sophisticated enough to understand fully the electoral process, which the court does disagree because the document that was presented doesn’t even align with the level of sophistication that they want me to believe,’ Simmons added
The judge concluded her ruling by stating the prosecution had failed to ‘prove intent’ during the case.
After Simmons’ brutal dismissal, the state attorney general stood by the case, claiming the defendants ‘knew they lied.’
‘The evidence was clear: They lied. They knew they lied, and they tried to steal the votes of millions of Michiganders,’ Nessel said while leaving the courthouse.
‘And if they can get away with this, well, what can they get away with next?’
Simmons was appointed by Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2019
Although Tuesday’s ruling gives election fraud Trump supporters a major victory, prosecutions are still active for accused fake electors in other states.
A Wisconsin judge last month refused to dismiss charges against three individuals accused of planning to falsify electoral ballots for Trump in 2020.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .