Trump allies in Michigan criminally charged with mishandling voting machines

A former Republican candidate for Michigan attorney general and a former state representative were charged Tuesday for allegedly tampering with voting machines after the 2020 election, according to court records.

GOP attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno, who was endorsed by former President Trump, and former Michigan state Rep. Daire Rendon (R) were charged with illegally accessing voting machines.

Prosecutors allege that DePerno led a group who moved five voting machines to a hotel room, broke into them and performed “tests” on them.

DePerno was charged with undue possession of a voting machine, while Rendon was charged with conspiracy to commit the same offense.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel outsourced the investigation to a special prosecutor, given that she had run against DePerno in an election the previous cycle. That special prosecutor began an investigation in September.

“We know the 2020 Presidential Election in Michigan was the most heavily scrutinized election in American history, and every audit and review found the election to be secure, fair, and accurate to the will of the voters,” Nessel said in a statement Tuesday. 

“The alleged actions by these defendants, and others, who worked to erode trust in our election system caused undeniable harm to our democracy.”

The pair were arrested Tuesday, according to court documents.

According to his attorney Paul Stablein, DePerno “categorically denies any wrongdoing and firmly asserts that these charges are unfounded and lack merit.”

“He maintains his innocence and firmly believes that these charges are not based upon any actual truth and are motivated primarily by politics rather than evidence,” Stablein said in a statement to CNN.

The Hill has also reached out to the special prosecutor’s office, as well as Rendon’s lawyer.

The charges are the latest prosecution in Michigan related to the 2020 election. Last month, Nessel charged 16 fake electors, who pledged to fraudulently cast electoral college votes after the 2020 election.

And the two Trump allies are the latest of many Trump-aligned figures who have been charged with 2020 election crimes.

Trump himself is expecting an indictment as soon as Tuesday from a federal investigation into his alleged actions to overturn the 2020 election. The grand jury in a similar probe in Georgia is also expected to decide whether to indict Trump this month.

— Updated 5:13 p.m.