Telethon planned to benefit false Trump electors facing charges in Michigan

Lansing — Conservative groups say they're planning a telethon to benefit the Michigan Republicans who are facing criminal charges after signing a certificate falsely claiming that former President Donald Trump won the state's 2020 election.

On Tuesday, the Grand New Party political action committee announced the telethon will take place over 11 hours on Sept. 5. The event will feature guests like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was Trump's personal lawyer, and Steve Bannon, who was Trump's chief strategist, according to the PAC.

"This telethon will feature hours of original content, including human interest stories about the electors showing what brave, patriotic conservatives they are," wrote Shane Trejo, executive director of the Grand New Party PAC, in an email Tuesday.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, charged the 16 false electors with eight felonies each in July. Nessel has said they violated state laws against forgery as part of "an organized effort to circumvent the lawfully cast ballots of millions of Michigan voters in a presidential election."

Democrat Joe Biden won Michigan's election by 154,000 votes or 3 percentage points in November 2020, meaning he secured the state's 16 electoral votes.

But Trump supporters orchestrated a plan to submit a certificate from the Republicans, falsely claiming he scored Michigan's electoral votes to try to challenge his defeat in Congress.

The 16 Republicans have pleaded not guilty, and their cases are pending in Ingham County District Court.

Giuliani faces criminal charges along with Trump in Georgia, in part, because he and Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis "solicited, requested and importuned" Michigan lawmakers to "unlawfully appoint presidential electors" to cast Michigan's 16 Electoral College votes for Trump, according to the Fulton County grand jury indictment.

More:Trump indictment: False Michigan electors aimed to 'unlawfully change' 2020 election

The telethon is being organized by The Gateway Pundit, a website that has promoted false and unproven theories about widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and the Michigan Conservative Coalition, a political group that previously supported the effort to create the false electors certificate.

The Gateway Pundit will stream the telethon, according to the Grand New Party PAC.

"This is a historic event that will change public perceptions and give the electors the resources they need to fight back against the malicious, politically-motivated prosecutions of leftist AG Dana Nessel," Trejo wrote of the telethon on Tuesday.

The telethon is apparently part of efforts to raise money for the false electors' legal defense. Many of the Republicans have already set up online fundraisers.

cmauger@detroitnews.com