Two of the 14 fake electors who tried to overturn the 2020 election in Michigan now claim they are not guilty because they were "brainwashed" — a term they jumped on after state Attorney General Dana Nessel described them as such.
MAGA defendants Mari-Ann Henry and Clifford Frost have now filed motions to have their cases dropped, claiming they were brainwashed and thus truly believed Donald Trump won the election.
"Convictions would require proof that (Henry) intended by her actions to defraud," Henry's attorney wrote, via CNN. [But] "If she had that belief [that Trump won], (Henry's) alleged actions could not have been performed with the intent to cheat or deceive anyone."
And Frost's attorney whipped up a similar defense: "Given that the AG stated that she knows (Frost) and the other fifteen Republican electors 'think that Donald Trump is the real winner of the election' and that 'they legit believe that,' then (Frost) did not possess the specific criminal intent to cheat nor deceive as required by the statues."
From CNN:
Attorneys for fake electors Mari-Ann Henry and Clifford Frost separately filed motions to drop the case, citing the comments Nessel made last week to a liberal advocacy group. CNN obtained a recording of her appearance, where she said the GOP electors were "brainwashed" and "genuinely believe" former President Donald Trump won in 2020. …
Both Henry and Frost – and the other 14 fake electors facing charges – have pleaded not guilty. Each defendant was individually charged with eight state-level felonies. …
Outside legal experts predicted that Nessel's remarks would provide some fodder to the defendants – and may have even undermined her first-of-its-kind prosecution. Nessel, a Democrat, was the first prosecutor in the US to charge any of the fake GOP electors.
At the same event last week, Nessel also touted the fact that she filed the charges in Ingham County, which she called a "very, very Democratic-leaning county." Frost's lawyer wrote that Nessel's comment about the potential jury pool was "very problematic."
