Nevada ‘fake electors’ got aid worth $100K from Trump-aligned nonprofit before indictment was dismissed
WASHINGTON, DC: Six so-called 'fake electors' in Nevada received $100,000 in legal costs, paid for by a nonprofit group supportive of former President Donald Trump, according to those familiar with the transaction, stated The Hill.
Notably, the sum was paid by Personnel Policy Operations, or PPO, to help the electors who supported Trump and were charged with fabricating the allegation that the former president had won the state in the 2020 presidential contest.
On Friday, June 21, a Nevada state court judge dismissed a criminal indictment against the six Republicans accused of submitting certificates falsely declaring Trump the winner of the state's 2020 presidential election.
Jim Hindle, Michael McDonald, Jesse Law, Jim DeGraffenreid, Shawn Meehan, and Eileen Rice were the electors who were indicted. They were each charged with a crime that carries a maximum sentence of four or five years in prison: presenting a fraudulent instrument for filing and uttering a counterfeit document.
The case was dismissed on the grounds that the county was not the appropriate jurisdiction for the case.
Personnel Policy Operation pays $100k in legal fees for Nevada 'fake electors'
Joshua Whitehouse, director of strategy at the nonprofit, told The Hill, "There’s a strong and wide network of America First patriots doing our best to support each other and prevent the unjust weaponization of our legal system. PPO serves as one of the hubs for said network."
Notably, PPO describes its mission as offering assistance and resources to 'conservative, America First civil servants and their advisors', parroting the Reagan-era maxim that 'personnel is policy'.
Its goals are similar to those of Project 2025, a massive endeavor by the conservative Heritage Foundation to promote right-wing ideas and get ready for a potential second Trump administration.
The group's president, Troup Hemenway, began working with Project 2025 last autumn as an assistant director of personnel placement and senior advisor.
Moreover, his earlier position was in the Presidential Personnel Office in Trump's White House, which is the same acronym as the legal fundraising organization. The former president also oversaw Whitehouse and other PPO leaders in leading roles.
Hemenway says PPO does not give money to defendants but pays their bills directly
Hemenway said that PPO paid 'a substantial six-figure sum to support the legal defense of the Nevada patriots', adding that the organization does not give money to defendants; rather, it pays their bills directly.
He added, "We will continue to help fight lawfare in this country as we aim to restore American greatness."
According to a person connected to the organization, the funding for the aid was from the group's Courage Under Fire Legal Defense Fund, which has provided financial support to Trump loyalists such as John Eastman and Jeffrey Clark in their numerous legal disputes.
Before the case was dropped on Friday, the Silver State alternative electors were supposed to go on trial in January. This is the first case to be dismissed against a group of pro-Trump voters.
Moreover, the office of the Nevada attorney general plans to appeal the ruling 'immediately', according to John Sadler, a spokesman for the agency, who talked to The Hill on Friday.
