Two Michigan Republicans are being charged for their alleged involvement in an effort to tamper with voting machines after the 2020 presidential election.
Matthew DePerno, the Donald Trump-endorsed candidate for state attorney general in 2022, is being charged with undue possession of a voting machine and conspiracy. Additionally, former GOP state Representation Daire Rendon is being charged with conspiracy to commit undue possession of a voting machine and false pretenses, the Associated Press reported Tuesday afternoon.
The charges stem from an investigation into Republican efforts to allegedly "test" voting machines amid Trump's unfounded claims of election fraud. Following the 2020 presidential election, Trump blamed his losses in several swing states, including Michigan, on widespread voter fraud despite a lack of evidence to back up the claims.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, announced the investigation into the alleged efforts last year. She has alleged that several allies to the former president attempted to gain access to voting machines, according to a report from The Detroit News.
Nessel, who brought in a special prosecutor to avoid a conflict of interest in the case, as she ran against DePerno in last year's election, alleged that DePerno and Rendon were among nine people who attempted to convince local election officials to provide them with voting machines so they could conduct "tests" on the equipment amid the unfounded voter fraud claims.
Prosecutors have not announced the charges, but court documents obtained by The Detroit News showed the two were arraigned on Tuesday afternoon.
DePerno's attorney, Paul Stablein, wrote in a statement to Newsweek that DePerno "categorically denies any wrongdoing and firmly asserts that these charges are unfounded and lack merit."
"The indictment arises from a court ordered forensic investigation of the Antrim County election where Mr. DePerno uncovered significant security flaws," he added. "He maintains his innocence and firmly believes that these charges are not based upon any actual truth and are motivated primarily by politics rather than evidence. He is confident that justice will prevail, and he looks forward to the date when his innocence will be demonstrated in a court of law."
Trump has claimed there was voter fraud "beyond what anyone can believe" in the state, despite Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson saying in March 2021 that 250 random audits across Michigan confirmed the accuracy and integrity of the election.
DePerno lost the 2022 election to Nessel by more than 8 percentage points after President Joe Biden carried the state by fewer than 3 percentage points in 2020.
Attorney Stefanie Lambert announced last month that she has also been charged in the case, saying during an appearance on the Conservative Daily podcast.
"My attorney has been informed that I have been indicted by [Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson], the special prosecutor in Michigan, working at the request of [Attorney General] Dana Nessel," Lambert said.
A spokesperson for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office previously told Newsweek that they could "neither confirm nor deny the existence of a grand jury or any indictments" when asked about Lambert's claim. Nessel's office listed Lambert as one of the individuals involved in the alleged scheme, The Detroit News reported.
