Two attorneys with Colorado ties indicted with Trump in Georgia
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John Eastman speaks on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder on April 29, 2021. Photo: Andy CrossDenver Post via Getty Images
An attorney for the Colorado Republican Party and a fellow at a conservative Colorado institute were indicted by a grand jury along with former President Trump for their alleged efforts to flip 2020 election results in Georgia.
Why it matters: The criminal conspiracy outlined in the 98-page indictment is drawing parallels to election tampering in Colorado and showcases the state's ties to the Trump campaign's push to overturn the presidential vote.
Driving the news: The charges include nine counts against John Eastman, who is currently representing the state's GOP in an elections lawsuit and served as a visiting professor at University of Colorado Boulder at the time of the election.
- The charges include racketeering, conspiracy to commit forgery and filing false documents, as well as asking a public official to violate their oath.
- Prosecutors say he submitted court documents challenging Georgia's vote despite knowing some of the information was not true and sought to replace electors.
Of note: Jenna Ellis, an attorney who is an advisory fellow in constitutional law and policy at the conservative Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University, also faces two charges.
- She is accused of racketeering and asking a public official to violate their oath as part of an effort to convince Georgia officials to appoint new electors for Trump, documents state.
Flashback: Eastman is listed as a co-conspirator in the separate federal indictment against Trump unsealed Aug. 1.
- Colorado's office of attorney regulation censured Ellis in March after she acknowledged repeatedly making false statements about the election on television.
The intrigue: The Georgia indictment details a concerted effort to upend the election and goes much further than one in Mesa County, where former Clerk Tina Peters is charged with tampering with election equipment.
What they're saying: In an interview with Axios Denver, Secretary of State Jena Griswold applauded the Georgia indictment, saying she wants to see federal or local charges in Colorado that implicate the broader network behind the voting machine tampering in Mesa County.
- Colorado's case demonstrates "the ongoing coup that did not stop in January 2021," Griswold said.
The big picture: The two attorneys are among 18 Trump aides, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, charged as part of a "criminal enterprise," according to the indictment.
- Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she intends to try all the defendants together.
- Willis is requesting a trial within six months, but scheduling the date will be at the discretion of Judge Scott McAfee who was randomly selected to oversee the case.
The other side: The Trump campaign released a statement Monday just before the charges were revealed calling the indictment "bogus."
Catch up quick: The indictment came after a wide-ranging investigation by Willis into alleged efforts of Trump and his allies to pressure Georgia officials to change the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state, which Trump lost by 11,779 votes out of nearly 5 million cast.
- A special purpose grand jury spent seven months hearing testimony from 75 witnesses.
Go deeper: Why Georgia's case against Trump could be so damaging