Two attorneys for former President Donald Trump who were involved in a fake electors scheme for the then-president following the 2020 election settled a lawsuit against them on Monday.
Two Wisconsin Democratic electors, along with a voter, filed the lawsuit in 2022 claiming that attorneys Jim Troupis and Kenneth Chesebro and 10 other Republicans signed documents saying they were electors as part of a plan in Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In reality, state parties appoint electors to represent voters. Troupis and Chesebro settled in December by agreeing to turn over documents, emails, and texts.
“This all came out of Wisconsin and expanded to other states. That was a significant part of the narrative that led to the violence on Jan. 6,” Mary McCord, an attorney with Georgetown University’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection who also helped negotiate the settlement, told the Associated Press.
In an effort to keep Trump in office, false documents and fake Republican electors were created in key states to overturn the election results and incite the Jan 6. Capitol riot, according to the settlement.
“Troupis and Chesebro orchestrated an egregious and unprecedented scheme to undermine the will of the voters, in Wisconsin and beyond,” Jeff Mandell, an attorney for Law Forward who brought forth the lawsuit, said in a statement. “This case was the first to seek accountability for those individuals who tried to overturn the will of Wisconsin voters. Through this litigation, we have been able to reveal the details of the scheme and those who were responsible, to ensure this never happens again.”
Emails and text messages from Chesebro and Troupis detail how they prepared elector certificates and falsely signed the documents following President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
“I have sent it to the White House this afternoon. The real decision makers,” Troupis texted Chesebro after he shared a memo strategizing the scheme.
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While public documents show there was no communication between the attorneys and Trump, there is evidence that there was an Oval Office meeting with Trump at the White House in December. Though Troupis and Chesebro did not admit to any liability, as part of the settlement, they did promise not to participate as electors in future elections.
Following a recount in 2020, Trump lost to Biden by about 21,000 votes in Wisconsin.
