Georgia's certified electors set to cast their official ballots for president
Georgia's certified electors cast ballots
Georgia's certified electors will gather at the state capitol Tuesday to cast their official ballots for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. The controversy surrounding Georgia’s 2020 presidential election is sure to be on the minds of many who recall the drama that played out under the gold dome four years ago.
ATLANTA - Independent journalist George Chidi exposed the secret meeting of alternate electors, who backed then-President Donald Trump, at the Georgia State Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020.
"It didn't occur to me that they'd be holding a meeting until I saw one of them go into a room," Chidi told FOX 5 during a 2023 interview.
He was there to cover any possible protests against the official certification of 16 electoral votes for Joe Biden, when he came upon the group of Republicans and snapped a photo.
There were 16 alternate electors who signed documents falsely stating that they were duly qualified electors for president and vice president for the United States of America from the state of Georgia.
That scene played out across the country following the 2020 election as Trump and his supporters challenged the outcome, alleging widespread voter fraud.
Republican strategists defended the actions of those who signed on as alternate electors, insisting they were not trying to overthrow the government.
"They were just doing what their party told them to do," Robinson said, "and they were told back then that this was a procedural legal mechanism so that if their court case won, Georgia would have the electoral votes at hand should they need to advance."
In August 2023, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants on racketeering, conspiracy and other charges for allegedly trying to overturn Georgia's 2020 election.
"If you were going to file suit or prosecute someone, I mean it's been four years, it could have been done. Instead, we had a drama of relationships at the office. Who paid who? There was no point," said defense attorney Manny Arora.
Arora represents Kenneth Chesebro, one of four defendants who took plea deals.
"He's still got a case that he is fighting in Wisconsin," Arora explained. "That's the only other state that decided to pursue any charges, and so it's still going on for him."
The Source: The details in this article come from FOX 5's Deidra Dukes' original report and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports.