Arizona jury in fake electors case wanted to charge Trump

An Arizona grand jury that had already indicted 18 of Donald Trump’s allies also wanted to charge the former president himself.

Prosecutors advised the jury members against doing so because they felt it would be prosecuting someone for the same crime twice and were concerned about a lack of evidence, according to the Washington Post.

“That is why I have not recommended that in the draft indictment despite clear indications from you all that there’s an interest in pursuing a charge against him,” Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Klingerman told the jurors. Trump had already been charged for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Among those indicted include Trump advisers such as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorneys John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, and Christina Bobb. The 11 Arizona Republicans who signed paperwork on Dec. 14, 2020, that described Trump as the winner of the 2020 election were also charged.

One of them, Loraine Pellegrino, had most of the charges dismissed against her on Tuesday, instead pleading guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge that involved the recording of a false document. She served as the “secretary” of the elector effort.

Pellegrino’s attorney Joshua Kolsrud said in a statement that Pellegrino’s decision to accept a plea to a lesser charge “reflects her desire to move forward and put this matter behind her.”

Trump has not been indicted in the case but was named as a co-conspirator. He lost the state in 2020 by 10,457 votes, less than half a point.

Trump was convicted in his New York hush money case but is unlikely to face jail time. Two other cases have yet to reach their conclusion, and his classified documents case was dismissed, though that ruling is being appealed.