Former Michigan Republican Party co-chair Meshawn Maddock pleaded not guilty this week to eight felony charges stemming from her participation in an alleged scheme to replace Michigan’s electoral college representatives with a slate of Republicans to subvert the 2020 election.
In a Tuesday hearing over Zoom, Maddock pleaded not guilty to all eight felony charges, according to court records.
Maddock is one 16 Republicans charged last week by Attorney General Dana Nessel, which allegedly sought to secure a second term for then-President Donald Trump.
More: 16 people face felonies in 2020 Michigan false electors scheme
The would-be electors, according to multiple accounts, met in the basement of then-Michigan Republican Party Headquarters on Dec. 14, 2020, and signed documents claiming to be “the duly and qualified electors” convening in Michigan’s Capitol to cast votes as required by Congress. Neither were true. After walking to the Capitol, Michigan State Police turned them away at the door.
Electoral college representatives’ votes are conveyed to Washington, DC, where the selection of the next president is finalized. Michigan’s constitution requires its electoral college votes to reflect the state’s popular vote. Then-candidate Joe Biden beat incumbent President Donald Trump in Michigan by more than 154,000 votes in the November 2020 election.
“These false documents were then transmitted to the United States Senate and National Archives in a coordinated effort to award the state’s electoral votes to the candidate of their choosing, in place of the candidates actually elected by the people of Michigan,” Nessel’s office said in a statement.
The felony charges surround forgery and election law forgery, meaning prosecutors will have to prove there was an intent to deceive or defraud another party. Mari-Ann Henry of Brighton was also arraigned July 25 and pleaded not guilty on all counts, according to court filings.
Related: An ‘uphill battle’: how a Hawaii election could complicate Michigan’s pro-Trump electors case
Maddock was co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 2021 to 2023, serving as No. 2 to chair Ron Weiser. Maddock has been known for her close ties to Trump and is supporting his run for a third presidential nomination.
The current party leadership has dismissed the charges as a politically-motivated stunt aimed at influencing the 2024 election, referring to Nessel as a “tyrant” for bringing charges. Nessel had first referred to her investigation into the scheme to the federal government, but when no charges emerged, reopened the case.
More: Michigan GOP, after a pause, excoriates Nessel over Trump elector charges
“When government officials use their positions to target and oppress certain groups or individuals, it sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the principles of our representative government and our civil liberties,” party co-chair Malinda Pego said at a news conference last week. “The weaponization of government power against citizens that only erodes trust in our legal system, but also threatens our fundamental rights and freedoms that we hold dear.”
The pro-Trump slate of electors included other prominent Republicans, such as Kathy Berden, one of three Republican National Committee representatives for Michigan; Kent Vanderwood, the mayor of Wyoming; Stan Grot, Shelby Township’s clerk and Marian Sheridan, the party’s current grassroots vice-chair.
According to the Department of Attorney General, the individuals charged are:
- Kathy Berden, 70, of Snover
- William Choate, 72, of Cement City
- Amy Facchinello, 55, of Grand Blanc
- Clifford Frost, 75, of Warren
- Stanley Grot, 71, of Shelby Township
- John Haggard, 82, of Charlevoix
- Mary-Ann Henry, 65, of Brighton
- Timothy King, 56, of Ypsilanti
- Michele Lundgren, 73, of Detroit
- Meshawn Maddock, 55, of Milford
- James Renner, 76, of Lansing
- Mayra Rodriguez, 64, of Grosse Pointe Farms
- Rose Rook, 81, of Paw Paw
- Marian Sheridan, 69, of West Bloomfield
- Ken Thompson, 68, of Orleans
- Kent Vanderwood, 69, of Wyoming
The remaining defendants face arraignment over the next two weeks. A preliminary examination in Maddock’s case has been scheduled for Aug. 11.
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