2020 election case: Who are the 6 who helped Trump?

Former US president Donald Trump attempted to overturn the win of Joe Biden to stay in power. But he didn’t do it alone. The indictment against Donald Trump over his failed bid to reverse his 2020 US election defeat lists six co-conspirators that it says were recruited to “assist him in his criminal efforts” to cling to power. Following longstanding Justice Department policy, their names have been withheld as they have not been charged, but five have been identified by US media based on details divulged by prosecutors. Here’s what’s known about the co-conspirators, and who they may be. Co-Conspirator 1: Rudy Giuliani The suspect with the highest profile is undoubtedly Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer who led bogus legal challenges in swing states and was central to an effort to pressure local legislators to overturn election results. [caption id=“attachment_12951642” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and former campaign lawyer may be “co-conspirator 1”. AP[/caption] The indictment says the former New York mayor — feted as a national hero in the wake of the 11 September, 2001 attacks — “was willing to spread knowingly false claims and pursue strategies that the defendant’s 2020 re-election campaign attorneys would not.” “We don’t have the evidence, but we have lots of theories,” Giuliani is quoted as telling an Arizona lawmaker who asked for proof of voter fraud, according to the indictment, which designates him as “Co-Conspirator 1.” **Also Read: Tough punisher of Capitol rioters: Tanya Chutkan, the judge in Trump’s latest election case** Giuliani repeatedly made false fraud accusations against Georgia election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman, prompting death threats against the pair, and has admitted in court that he defamed them. Co-conspirator 2: John Eastman According to the indictment “Co-Conspirator 2” is an attorney who “devised and attempted to implement a strategy to leverage the vice president’s ceremonial role in overseeing the certification proceeding to obstruct the certification of the presidential election. **Also Read: Donald Trump faces new charges: What you need to know** John Eastman, a constitutional lawyer and one-time respected scholar, helped develop the strategy to create fake slates of pro-Trump electors to certify the victory for their candidate in states that Joe Biden had actually won. He was central to efforts to pressure Trump’s vice president Mike Pence to overturn the election on 6 January, 2021, when the states’ certification of the results was due to be ratified by Congress. Co-conspirator 3: Sidney Powell According to the indictment, on 25 November, 2020, “Co-Conspirator 3” filed a lawsuit against the Governor of Georgia alleging massive election fraud, and the complaint was dismissed on 7 December, 2020. These dates and phrases correspond to the federal complaint Sidney Powell filed against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, as per a CNN report. [caption id=“attachment_12951662” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sidney Powell, dubbed “The Kraken,” was briefly considered by Trump for a special counsel role to investigate the election. However, she faced sanctions for misconduct and multiple defamation lawsuits. AP[/caption] The one-time presidential hopeful worked closely with “Co-Conspirator 3” — attorney Sidney Powell — who pushed fringe theories about manipulation of voting machines that Trump allegedly acknowledged sounded “crazy” but promoted anyway. The former federal prosecutor came to Trump’s attention as a defence attorney who represented his former national security advisor, far right QAnon conspiracy theorist Michael Flynn, who lied to the FBI about contacts with Russia. **Also Read: The charges looming over Donald Trump in US 2020 election probe** Nicknamed “The Kraken” after the movie monster from Clash of the Titans, Powell was briefly considered by Trump for the job of special counsel to investigate the election, but was ultimately sanctioned for misconduct and sued multiple times for defamation. Co-conspirator 4: Jeffrey Clark Jeffrey Clark, a mid-level Justice Department official described as “Co-Conspirator 4,” accepted the position of acting attorney general on 3 January, 2021, although Trump ultimately withdrew the job offer amid a revolt in the ranks. [caption id=“attachment_12951692” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Jeff Clark was Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and later served as acting head of the Civil Division. Reuters[/caption] Clark is accused of corruptly pressing senior officials to “open sham election crime investigations and influence state legislatures with knowingly false claims of election fraud.” Co-conspirator 5: Ken Chesebro The fifth conspirator, according to indictment is said to have “assisted in devising and attempting to implement a plan to summit fraudulent slates of presidential electors. Ken Chesebro, identified as “Co-Conspirator 5,” is accused of leading key elements of a fake elector strategy on behalf of former President Donald Trump’s campaign. Chesebro drafted a series of memos that eventually developed into what is referred to as “a corrupt plan” to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Chesebro, an attorney and Trump campaign adviser, is said to be the original architect of the fake elector plot. On 18 November, 2020, Chesebro sent a memo to GOP party officials in his home state of Wisconsin proposing the nomination of fake electors, reports Wall Street Journal. Subsequently, Chesebro worked with Rudy Giuliani and others to replicate this plan nationwide. Co-Conspirator 6: Unidentified A sixth plotter, described as a political consultant who helped implement the fake electors’ scheme, has not been identified. This co-conspirator is alleged to have compiled a list of attorneys in swing states who may help with the fraudulent efforts, as well as worked to confirm phone numbers for six US senators who conspirators believe could help delay the certification of Biden’s election win, according to the Wall Street Journal. With inputs from AFP