What should we do with Arizona's fake Trump electors? Lock them up

Fake electors cast votes for Trump
Fake electors cast votes for Trump
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Forget just calling Arizona’s fake presidential electors “traitors.” They should be criminally prosecuted.

What the head of the Arizona Republican Party Kelli Ward, businessman and U.S. Senate wannabe Jim Lamon and the other fake electors did isn’t a joke.

These and other prominent Republicans actually signed a document – as detailed by The Arizona Republic's Richard Ruelas – proclaiming themselves Trump electors, though Joe Biden had won Arizona.

Thankfully, these people weren’t allowed to get away with their coup. But they and all others who did the same thing elsewhere should be criminally prosecuted.

Brnovich won't investigate. The feds must step in

In Michigan, where Biden also won, the state attorney general is asking federal prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into the fake electors.

“Under state law, I think clearly you have forgery of a public record, which is a 14-year offense, and election law forgery, which is a five-year offense,” Democrat State Attorney general Dana Nessel told MSNBC.

Nessel said she has been looking into the criminality of the fake electors but ultimately decided to send the case to the U.S. Justice Department.

There is no way that Arizona Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich would dare ask the feds to also investigate Arizona’s fake electors.

Brnovich initially acknowledged that Biden won Arizona, but that angered Trump, which isn’t good for his U.S. Senate GOP primary bid.

Brnovich is too worried about upsetting Trump loyalists even more, so that leaves federal prosecutors as the only ones to try to hold the phony electors accountable.

They must do so – not just in Michigan but everywhere Trump loyalists signed a document – effectively forging a public record as Nessel noted.

Who knows what these fake electors will try to do next if they’re let off the hook?

Elvia Díaz is an editorial columnist for The Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to do with Arizona fake Trump electors? Lock them up