A Michigan fake elector said that fake electors were told that the Michigan Senate had the power to accept their fake declaration that Trump won the state.
The testimony of James Renner of Lansing, who was one of the 16 Michigan Republicans who signed the false document on Dec. 14, 2020, was another indication that supporters of Trump were hoping that Michigan GOP lawmakers would intervene in Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
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He said providing a contingency in case Trump was later declared the winner of Michigan’s 16 electoral votes was just one part of the goal of the false certificate. Renner acknowledged that the GOP electors “agreed” on Dec. 14, 2020 that Trump “had won.”
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Another purpose of the false certificate was to provide a chance for the Michigan Senate to choose to recognize the GOP electors as Michigan’s official electors, Renner testified.
The problem with this defense is that Biden was declared the winner of the state before the fake electors met, so there was no need for a secondary option. Biden was already the winner.
The only reason that a second slate of electors would be needed would be if Trump and the Republicans were trying to overturn the election.
Michigan’s fake electors are arguing that they were lied to by Trump and the Republican Party. The defense is that they had no intent to try to overthrow the election. The way that the fake electors are trying to get off of the hook is by blaming the Republican Party and Donald Trump.
Whether or not this is going to work is dubious because the fake electors were meeting after Biden’s victory had been certified by the state, so it is implausible that the fake electors didn’t know that they were participating in a plot to overturn the election.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
