Donald Trump and his allies had a direct hand in the Nevada Republican Party's plan to send a fake electoral certificate to Congress in order to keep the former president in office.
State party leader Michael McDonald and Republican National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid were interviewed in February. The two men were fake electors in the city.
Six Nevada GOP members signed certificates saying that Trump won Nevada in 2020 and sent them to Congress and the National Archives, but they were ignored. The House committee is looking into the role that the fake electors played in Trump's attempt to cling to power after his 2020 defeat.
The Fifth Amendment was invoked hundreds of times by McDonald and DeGraffenreid in their interviews with the committee.
The transcripts give an unprecedented view into the Trump team's coordinated efforts in Nevada to overturn the results of the election.
The day after the election, McDonald had a conference call with Trump, his then-chief of staff MarkMeadows, attorney Rudy Giuliani and son Eric Trump.
McDonald said in a text message that they wanted full attack mode. A war room meeting is going to take about an hour.
McDonald and DeGraffenreid gave their communications to the committee. McDonald's cellphone was seized by the FBI as part of the investigation.
Text messages, emails, internal memos and handwritten charts were among the documents detailed in the transcripts.
The planning began as early as four days before the election, when state party officials began discussing whether Barbara Cegavske would sign off on the alternate slate of electors.
Cegavske might do a lot of things, but sending a slate of Republican electors without them being clear winners of the popular vote is not one of them.
The Nevada Republican Party censured Cegavske for certifying President Joe Biden's victory in Nevada despite attacks from Trump and others within her own party. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state.
The day before the fake electors met, McDonald became increasingly frustrated with the RNC over how to conduct the certificate signing. He went back and forth with the RNC about the location, how they would promote the event and what they would say in their speeches.
One of the fake electors said that the RNC put them in a box on what they can say.
McDonald wanted a smaller group that would plan the final details over breakfast, and he was stressed out by the situation. It was obvious to several of the fake electors that McDonald was upset with mixed messages.
If we do well the RNC will cut the cord and steal credit.
DeGraffenreid said he knew. He's worried that we look foolish.
After more than two months of planning, McDonald, DeGraffenreid and the other fake electors gathered outside the Capitol building in Carson City for a ceremony to cast their votes.
The state party would write on social media that "history was made today in Carson City, Nevada" as the state's electors cast their votes for Donald Trump and Mike Pence.
McDonald did not respond to questions. A lawyer for DeGraffenreid wouldn't say anything.
When the Republicans take over the House, the committee investigating the Capitol riot will be dissolved. The full report was expected to be released on Thursday, which the committee hopes will result in criminal charges against Trump and his associates.
Is that true?
A corps member for the Associated Press reported from Reno. Journalist are placed in local newsrooms through Report for America. You can follow him on the social networking site.
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