{"id":2511128,"date":"2025-11-16T07:16:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T12:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-trumps-pardoned-alternate-electors-still-face-legal-trouble\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T07:20:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T12:20:18","slug":"why-trumps-pardoned-alternate-electors-still-face-legal-trouble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-trumps-pardoned-alternate-electors-still-face-legal-trouble\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Trump\u2019s pardoned alternate electors still face legal trouble"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhy-trumps-pardoned-alternate-electors-still-face-legal-trouble%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2511128&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the recent pardon issued by former President donald Trump to more than 70 allies involved in efforts to challenge the 2020 election results, particularly those connected to the &#8220;alternate electors&#8221; scheme. While these federal pardons clear the individuals of related federal offenses, they do not protect them from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-2020-alternate-electors-pardons-seek-to-derail-remaining-criminal-cases\/\" title=\"Trump\u2019s 2020 ... ... seek to derail remaining criminal ...s\">ongoing state-level prosecutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Key developments include a Nevada Supreme Court decision reviving forgery charges against six Republicans involved in signing false elector certificates, despite their inclusion in Trump&#8217;s pardons. In georgia,the racketeering case against Trump and his allies will continue under a new prosecutor,even tho three charges against Trump where recently dismissed. Other states such as Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin are still navigating various stages of alternate elector prosecutions, with Michigan being the only state where charges have been fully dismissed.<\/p>\n<p>the pardons provide federal clemency but leave significant legal challenges ongoing at the state level for many of Trump&#8217;s associates.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump allies may have been pardoned, but here&rsquo;s why their legal woes aren&rsquo;t over yet<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2397750\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>&rsquo;s pardons of more than 70 allies involved in efforts to challenge the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2020-elections\/\">2020 election<\/a> have collided this week with new turns in the state-level prosecutions targeting the so-called &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-dont-get-credit-for-conceding-they-had-no-other-options\/\" title=\"Dems Don&#039;t Get Credit For Conceding. They Had No Other Options\">alternate electors&#038;rdquo<\/a>; strategy.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3881399\/trump-2020-alternate-electors-pardons-seek-derail-remaining-criminal-cases\/\">clemency order<\/a>, a &ldquo;full, complete, and unconditional pardon&rdquo; for &ldquo;all United States citizens&rdquo; connected to the alternate-elector plan or to &ldquo;efforts to expose voting fraud,&rdquo; was signed last Friday and posted online Sunday night by Pardon Attorney Ed Martin. Although it does not apply to Trump, the proclamation covers dozens of high-profile aides, lawyers, and activists who were once scrutinized by former special counsel <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3868459\/bidens-watergate-jack-smith-sought-197-subpoenas-in-arctic-frost-investigation\/\">Jack Smith<\/a> and by Democratic prosecutors in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/arizona\/\">Arizona<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\">Georgia<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michigan\/\">Michigan<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nevada\/\">Nevada<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wisconsin\/\">Wisconsin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3888578\/bongino-slams-report-patel-waived-fbi-polygraph-exam\/\">Bongino slams &#8216;nonsensical&#8217; report that Patel waived his FBI polygraph exam<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3888492\/california-man-arrested-attack-alina-habba-new-jersey-office\/\">California man arrested over attack on Alina Habba&#8217;s New Jersey office<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3887950\/kash-patel-pushes-back-tucker-carlson-thomas-crooks-expose\/\">Patel pushes back on Tucker Carlson&#8217;s Thomas Crooks expos&eacute; calling into account FBI investigation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>While presidential pardons apply only to federal offenses, Trump&rsquo;s sweeping action comes as several <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >state-level cases reach critical junctures<\/a>, including two criminal cases that were effectively revived following Martin&rsquo;s pardon sweep.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-nevada-supreme-court-revives-alternate-electors-prosecution\">Nevada Supreme Court revives alternate electors prosecution<\/h2>\n<p>The most significant new development this week came on Thursday evening, when the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously revived the forgery case against six Republicans who signed false 2020 elector certificates for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/948972344\/25-49576\">justices ruled 6&ndash;0<\/a> that Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3870740\/nevada-attorney-general-aaron-ford-gamble-progressive-outreach-gubernatorial-swing-state-bid\/\">Aaron Ford<\/a> (D-NV) properly filed the charges in Las Vegas, reversing a lower-court venue ruling that had tied the case up for more than a year. Among the defendants are Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald, Vice Chair Jim Hindle, and Republican National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid, all of whom were included in Trump&rsquo;s federal pardons days earlier.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &ndash; Nevada GOP chair Michael McDonald walks on stage before speaking ahead of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign event Jan. 27, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo\/John Locher, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The charges carry up to five years in prison and, because they are state offenses, remain unaffected by the pardons. The ruling stands in contrast to Michigan, where a judge <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3798623\/michigan-fake-electors-judge-dismisses-charges\/\">dismissed charges against 15 electors<\/a> last fall, citing a lack of criminal intent.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-georgia-case-jolted-back-to-life-under-new-prosecutor-three-charges-against-trump-tossed\">Georgia case jolted back to life under new prosecutor, three charges against Trump tossed<\/h2>\n<p>In Fulton County, the sprawling Georgia racketeering case against Trump and more than a dozen allies will <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3887359\/new-prosecutor-oversee-georgia-rico-case-against-trump-allies\/\">continue for now under an unexpected new prosecutor<\/a>, though the future of the case remains hazy.<\/p>\n<p>Peter Skandalakis, director of the Prosecuting Attorneys&rsquo; Council of Georgia, appointed&nbsp;himself&nbsp;Friday to take over the case after a monthslong effort failed to produce any outside prosecutor willing to handle it. His move arrived just hours before a deadline imposed by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who had warned the case would be dismissed entirely if no appointment was made by Friday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after Skandalakis&rsquo;s appointment, McAfee&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AnnaBower\/status\/1989435119774396714\">dismissed three charges<\/a> against Trump, all tied to allegations that he and several co-defendants filed false documents in federal court. The ruling had been widely expected, as McAfee had previously signaled that those counts were legally vulnerable before the case was paused due to the effort to remove former District Attorney <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fani-willis\/\">Fani Willis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The broader indictment remains intact, although Skandalakis&rsquo;s assignment to the case raises more questions about its future and whether he will decide to continue pursuing protection. He said his team has &ldquo;diligently&rdquo; reviewed the matter and emphasized that Trump&rsquo;s federal pardons &ldquo;do not affect state charges.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While Trump remains a named defendant in the case, he cannot be tried, forced to appear, or subjected to criminal action while he is serving his presidential term, which ends in January 2029.<\/p>\n<p>Trump attorney Steve Sadow on Friday urged dismissal of the remaining counts, arguing the &ldquo;politically charged prosecution has to come to an end.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3887359\/new-prosecutor-oversee-georgia-rico-case-against-trump-allies\/\">NEW PROSECUTOR TO OVERSEE GEORGIA RICO CASE AGAINST TRUMP ALLIES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-where-the-remaining-state-cases-stand\">Where the remaining state cases stand<\/h2>\n<p>With Nevada and Georgia moving forward on separate tracks, three other battleground states are still navigating unresolved alternate-elector prosecutions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Arizona<\/strong>: Attorney General Kris Mayes must decide by Nov. 21 whether to ask the state Supreme Court to review a trial judge&rsquo;s ruling that sent her case back to a grand jury. Political analysts note her recent comments suggest she may be preparing to drop the prosecution, but she has not signaled her clear intent publicly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Michigan<\/strong>: Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) may still file a delayed appeal before March 2026 after a judge dismissed charges last fall against 15 electors. Michigan remains the only state where the prosecution has fully collapsed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wisconsin<\/strong>: A criminal case remains active against three Republican electors after a judge refused to dismiss the charges in August. No trial date has been set, but prosecutors have indicated the case will continue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump pardoned allies, but state cases still proceed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2511129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP24209797527805.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[32675,66819,33116,12559,3634],"class_list":["post-2511128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-2020-election","tag-alternate-electors","tag-legal-trouble","tag-pardons","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP24209797527805.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2511128"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2511132,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511128\/revisions\/2511132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2511129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2511128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2511128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2511128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}