Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford provided further information during a news conference on Tuesday, December 12, regarding the ongoing investigation into the ‘fake electors,’ saying it had been underway for years before leading to the indictment of six Republican electors by a Las Vegas grand jury.
During the conference, Ford explained the timeline of the investigation and addressed why they were issued long after similar actions in other states. He emphasized the importance of thoroughness in gathering facts and evidence before pursuing charges.
“I know there are those who wish I had acted sooner, but as any good lawyer or investigator knows, you act at the exact pace you need to act,” Ford stated. “I don’t value speed over thoroughness, especially when it comes to law and ensuring justice.”
Critics point out that the indictment came after Democrat politicians and bureaucrats decided to make opposition to the 2020 election a crime and charging former President Trump with conspiracy to overthrow the outcome.
“The attack on our nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” said Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, whose office has spent months investigating Trump. “It was fueled by lies, lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”
The six indicted individuals, including Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald, Clark County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Law, and Storey County Clerk Jim Hindle, face charges of offering a false instrument for filing and uttering forged documents. In 2020, they submitted alternate electoral certificates protesting the election results that declared Joe Biden the winner in Nevada.
Similar actions were taken by Republicans in other battleground states, allegedly as part of a broader strategy supported by then-President Trump. Attorneys general in those states pursued charges such as forgery, racketeering, or making false statements.
Ford addressed his previous testimony in May, supporting Senate Bill 133 to criminalize future fake electors. He clarified that, during that testimony, he did not explicitly state there were no applicable laws addressing the conduct of the Republican electors.
Under NRS § 199.210, Nevada law makes it a crime to knowingly obtain or provide a forged or fraudulent written document as evidence in a legal proceeding. The category D felony carries one to four years in the Nevada State Prison and a possible $5,000 fine.
The investigation remains ongoing, while the arraignment for the six electors happened on Monday, December 18, in Clark County Eight Judicial District Court.
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