Alleged Michigan fake elector testifies against accused co-conspirators
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A former member of the group of alleged fake Michigan electors faced off against his former co-conspirators in district court in Lansing on Wednesday.
James Renner was a member of the defendants early on. He participated in the alleged scheme and admitted his guilt in exchange for his testimony against the group. The charges against him were dropped last year after reaching a cooperation deal with the Michigan Attorney General's Office.
"Was the significance of the form explained before anyone signed?" asked Michigan Assistant Attorney General LaDonna Logan on Wednesday.
"It was my understanding that the significance of the form was one, that we were authorized as an elector, and number two was a companion form that said Trump and Pence had won the election and that you agreed with that," Renner said.
Renner was part of the 16 alleged fake electors accused of felony counts of forgery and election crimes. According to the state, the group attempted to give Michigan's electoral votes to former President Donald Trump over current President Joe Biden, who won the state with a little over 150,000 votes in 2020.
"Did anyone explain what the purpose of going to the state Capitol was," Logan asked.
"Yes, the purpose was to present the slate of candidates because we were told that Representatives and Senators had the ability to accept our slate of candidates over the Democratic slate of candidates, but it had to be there by two o'clock," Renner replied.
These preliminary examinations for this first group have already been going on for months, and the case could extend into further days to get through all the material.