In a settlement reached Monday, it was revealed that two attorneys for then-President Donald Trump orchestrated a plan for fake electors to file paperwork falsely claiming that Trump won Wisconsin in the 2020 election.
This plan was part of a broader strategy to overturn Joe Biden’s victory. The attorneys, Kenneth Chesebro and Jim Troupis, coordinated with Trump campaign officials and replicated the scheme in six other states.
The settlement stems from a civil lawsuit brought by Democrats in 2022 against Chesebro, Troupis, and 10 Republicans in Wisconsin who posed as fake electors. As part of the agreement, Chesebro and Troupis turned over more than 1,400 pages of documents, emails, and text messages.
These documents provide a detailed account of how the scheme originated in Wisconsin, how they used arcane laws to justify and draft false certificates for the fake electors, and how they strategized to delay deadlines for certifying electoral votes and influence public opinion, including through conservative talk radio.
While the settlement does not include an admission of wrongdoing or liability, Chesebro and Troupis have promised not to participate in similar efforts involving future presidential campaigns.
Troupis also agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to the plaintiffs. Despite the settlement, Troupis defended the actions, calling the “alternate elector ballots” a “reasonable course of action” given the possibility of appealing the 2020 election results to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The documents also revealed that after the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, the attorneys discussed shifting blame away from Trump supporters to members of the anti-fascist movement, among others.
The settlement was announced by Georgetown University Law Center’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, Law Forward, and the Madison-based Stafford Rosenbaum law firm.
