Judge Dismisses Giuliani’s Claims of Bias in Controversial “Fake Elector” Case

Rudy Giuliani’s assertion of potential political bias among the grand jurors who indicted him in the “fake elector” case was met with skepticism by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen. Labeling Giuliani’s claims as “pure speculation and abject conjecture,” Cohen ordered an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office to assess whether any information regarding the political affiliations of the grand jurors is available.

The indictments against Giuliani and 17 others stem from allegations of a coordinated effort to have Congress accept 11 Republican officials as the official electors for the 2020 presidential election, despite Joe Biden’s victory. While all defendants have pleaded not guilty, Jenna Ellis, a former attorney for Trump, has agreed to cooperate with the state.

Giuliani aims to challenge the legitimacy of the grand jury process, questioning if it represented a “fair cross-section of the community” as mandated by legal standards. His attorney, Mark Williams, argues that reviewing the voter registration cards of the 16 grand jurors is critical to determine any possible biases or disqualifications.

Judge Cohen, in a recently issued order, was unimpressed with Giuliani’s concerns. He noted the lack of concrete evidence supporting the claim of politically motivated juror selection. Cohen emphasized that the grand jury was already in operation prior to these charges and was not specifically empaneled for this case.

The judge stated, “There is therefore no reliable information to suggest that the empaneling of this grand jury occurred in contemplation of this case or with a political agenda in mind.” Despite his reservations, Cohen is keen to avoid further delays in proceedings.

In a bid to expedite the process, he instructed the Attorney General’s Office to obtain an affidavit from the individual responsible for summoning the grand jurors, aiming to ascertain the potential knowledge of any political bias by October 16. A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office indicated that political affiliation is typically not collected during grand jury empanelments.

The case’s origins trace back to a gathering of 11 Trump supporters at the state GOP headquarters shortly after the 2020 election, where they signed a certificate declaring themselves the official electors, a document that was later sent to Congress and the National Archives. The indictment includes a broader conspiracy charge against those linked to Trump for their roles in this alleged plot, encompassing potential fraud and forgery, while Trump remains an “unindicted co-conspirator.”