Georgia GOP chair could face charges for signing ‘phony’ slate of Trump electors: report

The chairman of the Georgia Republican Party could be facing criminal charges after signing his name to a fake slate of Trump supporters impersonating presidential electors.

"The Georgians who joined a false slate of GOP electors to aid Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election could face criminal charges, legal experts say, as federal officials launch a new inquiry into efforts to undermine the vote and local prosecutors ramp up their investigation," The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionreported on Thursday.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating the effort by Trump supporters to overturn the election.

"The alternative slate, which met behind closed doors in a second-floor state Capitol conference room while Democrats formally cast their ballots in the state Senate chambers, were not a fringe group," the newspaper reported. "Among the members are state Republican Party Chairman David Shafer and state Sen. Burt Jones, now a leading candidate for lieutenant governor. Several well-known activists and party officials also were involved."

READ: An expert on police use of force is calling this incident one of the 'most abusive and unnecessary' he has ever seen

Former Deputy Attorney General Harry Litman explained on Thursday it does not matter whether those involved actually falsely believed Trump won the election.

"Legal experts interviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution cited various federal and state laws against false statements, forgery, racketeering and election fraud that the alternative electors might have violated," the newspaper reported. "Georgia State University law professor Clark Cunningham said the documents submitted by the Georgia Republicans are 'full of stunning falsity.' For example, the 16 Republicans signed a statement saying they were the 'duly elected and qualified' electors from Georgia. That wasn’t true."

Read the full report.