The Michigan attorney general’s cases against 15 Republicans whose names appeared on a certificate falsely claiming Donald Trump won the 2020 election could be in jeopardy as prosecutors have struggled to supply evidence to back up charges that made national headlines.
On Tuesday, the judge in the cases for the second straight day questioned the credibility of Attorney General Dana Nessel’s top investigator in the case as defense attorneys attempt to sow doubts about the evidence against their clients.
Through 12 days of preliminary examinations in Ingham County District Court, Nessel’s office has failed to show what advice was given inside the meeting room before GOP electors signed the false document on Dec. 14, 2020. And James Renner, one of the state’s key witnesses and the only Republican elector who has a cooperation deal, testified that he thought, at the time of signing, it was a “legitimate process.”
Yet, for the charges to ultimately be successful, prosecutors must prove the Republican defendants had an intent to defraud when they signed the paperwork, which Trump’s campaign later used to try to overturn the election.