Some of Arizona’s indicted fake electors want your spare change to help with legal bills
Six of the fake electors indicted in Arizona are turning to fundraising appeals to help finance their legal defense.
Michael and Kelli Ward are the only Arizonans seeking financial support so far. The other four indicted individuals are continuing campaigns they apparently started due to their involvement in other cases related to the 2020 presidential election. All of them have accounts on GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding site that also collects prayers for the beneficiaries.
The Wards' attorney, Brad Miller, launched the couple's fundraising campaign in the wake of indictments sought by Attorney General Kris Mayes. As of Friday, the effort had raised $100,000 from 92 donors toward a goal of what appears to be $5.3 million. The target amount is not fully displayed on the fundraising website.
They also received 21 prayers.
Miller portrayed the Wards' presentation of themselves as Arizona's lawful presidential electors as a free speech matter.
"AG Mayes is trying to punish, bankrupt, and silence Kelli and Michael for speaking out in favor of election integrity," Miller wrote. "And Mayes wants to quash all future peaceable protests against the democrat party by criminalizing this type of speech."
The top donor through Friday was Hildy Angius, a member of the Mohave County Board of Supervisors and a Republican candidate for a state Senate seat from Legislative District 30 in the northwest part of the state.
Other fundraising appeals on the site are from Rudy Giuliani, an attorney, associate of former President Donald Trump and former New York City mayor; attorney Jenna Ellis, who worked with Giuliani on Trump legal matters; attorney John Eastman; and Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official and a co-defendant in the Georgia case involving fake electors.
Giuliani's site was started by Jackson Lahmeyer, an Oklahoma pastor who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in 2022.
Giuliani "has been persecuted to the highest level through law fare due to his support of President Donald Trump," Lahmeyer wrote. As of May 24, the campaign had raised $40,000 toward the comparatively modest goal of $100,000. He also has received 198 prayers.
Proceeds will be funneled to the Rudy Giuliani Freedom Fund, another account set up to defray the former mayor's legal bills.
Other defendants and their legal defense totals as of late May:
Eastman started his own account on GiveSendGo with a goal of $1.5 million. He had raised $865,000 as of May 24.
Ellis' account was started by attorney Michael Melito, who represented her in a Colorado disciplinary case where Ellis admitted to several statements she made in 2020 that violated professional ethics rules. She had raised $220,150, although no fundraising goal was posted. Her biggest donor was conservative author Dinesh D'Souza and his wife, who gave $100,000.
Michael Roman, a Trump campaign staffer in 2016 and 2020. He joined the crowdfunding site to raise $300,000 toward his legal bills. As of May 24, he had reached $64,000 toward that goal. He is represented by the Dhillon Law Group, the same firm that is defending Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman in the fake elector case.
Another of the indicted individuals is fundraising, but for a different cause. State Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, dashed off an appeal for funds to fuel his congressional bid soon after the indictments were handed down.
“If they lock Trump and me up…You all will be next,” Kern's email states. He is in a six-way race for the GOP nomination to represent the 8th Congressional District in the West Valley.
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Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @maryjpitzl.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona fake electors: 6 defendants use crowdfunding to pay legal bills
