Michigan prosecutors have received hundreds of files from Google and X as part of their investigation into the 2020 election subversion probe. These files were provided after search warrants were obtained following the revelation of secret social media accounts owned by pro-Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, who was involved in the fake electors plot. The warrants allowed prosecutors access to Chesebro’s emails and private direct messages on Twitter, indicating that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is still gathering new information for the case. A top member of Nessel’s team testified that the investigation is ongoing and that Trump is considered an unindicted co-conspirator in the case.
In Michigan, fake electors schemes have been under investigation, with Arizona prosecutors recently filing criminal charges against pro-Trump electors and allies of the former president involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Chesebro, who played a major role in the fake electors plot, tried to bring controversial pro-Trump figures to Washington, DC, to watch the strategy unfold on January 6, 2021. He offered to pay for airfare and lodging at Trump’s upscale DC hotel for individuals like former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and the founder of the Gateway Pundit conspiracy website, but it does not appear that anyone accepted his offers.
Chesebro aggressively reached out to conservative pundits and right-wing figures after Trump lost the 2020 election, trying to persuade them to promote his theories for subverting the Electoral College process. Search warrants executed in March targeted Google and X after it was revealed that Chesebro had concealed some of his social media accounts from prosecutors. Chesebro has not been charged in Michigan, but he has pleaded guilty in Georgia’s election interference probe. The direct messages obtained by CNN showed how Chesebro was advising the Trump campaign on the fake electors plot while also trying to garner favorable news coverage from conservative radio hosts and pro-Trump pundits.
Chesebro was seen providing guidance to the founder of Gateway Pundit on how to frame coverage of the January 6 certification proceeding in Congress, offering lodging at Trump International Hotel and flights to various individuals to be at the center of Trump’s universe. He also reached out to Wisconsin political pundits and legal scholars, trying to influence coverage of claims of irregularities in the Wisconsin election results. However, many of his efforts were ignored or met with skepticism, with one professor responding to Chesebro’s messages with a dismissive “LOL.” The Wisconsin litigation, similar to numerous other Trump election suits, ultimately failed in court.
Chesebro’s aggressive outreach to conservative figures and attempts to manipulate media coverage of election-related events highlight the extent to which individuals were willing to go to subvert the Electoral College process. With ongoing investigations in Michigan and other states into fake electors schemes, the full extent of individuals’ involvement and their connections to Trump and his campaign are still being uncovered. These cases shed light on the dangerous consequences of attempts to overturn election results and the damaging impact they can have on the democratic process.
