Kenneth Chesebro and Wisconsin co-defendants plead not guilty in 2020 election case

In the latest legal fallout from the failed bid backed by Donald Trump to overturn his 2020 election loss, Kenneth Chesebro, Michael Roman and James Troupis pleaded not guilty Tuesday to Wisconsin state charges in connection with the so-called fake electors scheme.

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The defendants “argue that they committed no crime and were just trying to keep their options alive in case a court ruled that Trump had actually won the state,”The Associated Press reported.

According to a complaint the state previously filed against them, Chesebro and Troupis represented the Trump campaign in Wisconsin and Roman worked for the campaign. The state charged them with conspiracy and fraudulent writings, alleging, among other things, that they conspired to put forth a false certification of 2020 electors from that state.

“The criminal complaint in this case alleges that the defendants were part of a conspiracy to present a certificate of purported electoral votes from individuals who were not Wisconsin’s duly appo inted electors,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said when he announced the case in 2024. He alleged a conspiracy to have unappointed electors meet and cast votes in Wisconsin and to transmit a “Certificate of the Votes of the 2020 Electors from Wisconsin” that reflected the votes of these unappointed electors.

Trump himself has largely avoided criminal consequences, thanks in part to his 2024 election victory. His Justice Department won’t be charging him or his allies.