Trump co-defendant subpoenaed in Arizona election probe: report

Michael Roman, a former campaign aide for Donald Trump, has reportedly been subpoenaed in connection to an investigation into a "fake electors" plot in Arizona.

ABC News first reported the subpoena. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has previously confirmed her office was investigating a plot to use "fake electors" to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state.

"We will announce something in the relatively near future," Mayes said recently.

ALSO READ: Here's why conservative elites are bailing on Trump now

Roman was charged in Georgia along with former President Donald Trump and 17 others in a similar conspiracy to subvert the election results.

Georgia co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro voluntarily sat for an interview in Arizona, according to ABC News. Chesebro was accused in Georgia of orchestrating the plot by using alternate electors.

"A source said Chesebro was not subpoenaed in Arizona and sat for the interview voluntarily," the report said.

In the aftermath of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, won by Democrat Joe Biden over incumbent Trump, a controversial plan was set in motion by some of Trump's supporters.

Aimed at overturning the election results, this scheme involved the use of "fake electors."

Typically, after a presidential election, certified electors from each state cast their votes in the Electoral College, reflecting their state's popular vote. However, in this plot, groups of Republicans in key battleground states where Trump had lost — including Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia — signed certificates falsely declaring Trump the winner and presenting themselves as the legitimate electors.

These actions were part of broader efforts by Trump and some allies to challenge the election outcomes, alleging widespread voter fraud without providing substantial proof.

The fake elector certificates were sent to Congress and the National Archives in an attempt to have those votes counted in favor of Trump, despite the states’ official certifications for Biden. This plot was uncovered and thwarted, and Biden's victory was formally certified by Congress on January 6, 2021, an event marked by violent riots at the U.S. Capitol. The attempt to use fake electors has since been a subject of legal scrutiny and investigations.