Trump's Wisconsin Campaign Attorney and Aides Plead Not Guilty to Fake Elector Charges

Former President Donald Trump's Wisconsin campaign attorney and two former aides pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to felony forgery charges stemming from a fake elector scheme designed to overturn Trump's 2020 loss in the swing state. Jim Troupis, a former judge who served as Trump's Wisconsin campaign attorney, Mike Roman, Trump's director of Election Day operations in 2020, and Ken Chesebro, a former Trump legal adviser, entered their pleas in Dane County Circuit Court. Troupis appeared in person while Roman and Chesebro participated via Zoom.

Prosecutors allege that the three defendants defrauded Wisconsin's 10 Republican electors by misrepresenting how electoral certificates they signed would be used. According to the complaint, Troupis, Chesebro, and Roman lied to the electors about submitting documentation to then-Vice President Mike Pence falsely claiming Trump had won Wisconsin, when in fact Trump lost to Joe Biden. A majority of the electors told investigators they did not believe their signatures would be submitted to Congress without a court ruling in Trump's favor, nor did they consent to having their signatures presented as if Trump had won without such a ruling.

Each of the three defendants faces 11 felony forgery charges, punishable by up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Troupis and Roman have filed motions to move the trial from Dane County—where Trump lost by nearly 53 percentage points—to Jefferson County, citing concerns about negative publicity tainting the jury pool. Trump carried Jefferson County by 15 percentage points in 2020. Both men have also argued that one felony count should be dropped, contending that Trump's federal pardon for crimes related to the fake elector scheme should apply to state-level charges involving a federal electoral process. Trump also pardoned Chesebro.

The Wisconsin case continues despite similar fake elector prosecutions faltering in other battleground states. A federal case alleging Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election was dropped by a special prosecutor last year, and cases in Michigan and Georgia have stalled, though a Nevada case remains active. The fake elector scheme originated in Wisconsin, where Republican electors in the state submitted documentation to Congress falsely attesting to Trump's victory. The three defendants argue they committed no crime and were merely attempting to preserve legal options pending a potential court ruling in Trump's favor.

The charges were originally filed two years and two weeks before Tuesday's arraignment by Wisconsin Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul. Notably, none of the 10 Wisconsin electors themselves have been charged. The electors, along with Chesebro and Troupis, settled a lawsuit brought by Democrats seeking damages. The judge said Tuesday he would set a schedule to hear arguments on the defendants' various motions.