Another ‘Fake Electors’ Case From 2020 Presidential Election Bites the Dust
Partisan Weaponization Framing
How They Deceive You
Propaganda
Notable spin through partisan framing and selective omissions that downplay coordination evidence while emphasizing dismissals.
Main Device
Partisan Weaponization Framing
Repeatedly labels prosecutions as 'weaponized' by Democratic AGs to imply political motivation without context on coordination.
Archetype
MAGA-aligned legal skeptic
Views 2020 alternate elector cases as partisan persecution rather than accountability for documented campaign-linked efforts.
Labels cases 'weaponized' by Democratic AGs and cherry-picks collapsed outcomes while omitting coordination details and partial pleas to steer readers toward a vindication narrative.
Writer's Worldview
“MAGA-aligned legal skeptic”
3 findings
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Narrative Analysis
The RedState article accurately reports the Nevada judge’s dismissal of the fake electors case but frames the broader prosecutions as partisan “weaponized” actions by Democratic officials while minimizing the legal questions the cases raised about alternate certificates.
Key Findings
- Labeling as “weaponized” prosecutions. The piece repeatedly applies the term “weaponized” to the cases in Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia, and highlights the party affiliation of the attorneys general (“See all of those ‘Ds’”). This creates an impression of coordinated political targeting rather than separate state-level decisions based on evidence presented to judges and grand juries.
- Emphasis on open conduct as dispositive. The article quotes the judge’s observation that the defendants acted openly and that the certificate could not have been accepted under state or federal law. It presents this as conclusive proof of no fraudulent intent, without noting that prosecutors had argued the certificates were submitted with the intent to create a competing slate that could be used if litigation succeeded.
- Selective outcome summary. The text states that “none of the five states… have fully and successfully prosecuted” the main defendants and lists collapses in four states. It acknowledges some lower-level pleas in Georgia but treats them as minor exceptions rather than evidence of mixed results across jurisdictions.
What Was Missing
The article does not mention that the Nevada dismissal followed an earlier ruling allowing prosecutors a second opportunity to prove intent, or that the alternate certificates in multiple states asserted Trump had won despite official results showing otherwise. These procedural and factual details are verifiable from court records and would clarify that the dismissals turned on evidentiary thresholds rather than blanket findings that no legal violation occurred.
Source Context
RedState is a conservative opinion and news site owned by Salem Media Group. Its coverage of election-related litigation consistently emphasizes claims of overreach by Democratic officials and defenses of Republican strategies.
Bottom Line
The piece supplies a clear account of one judge’s reasoning and the pattern of dismissals, which is useful for readers tracking case outcomes. At the same time, its consistent framing of the prosecutions as partisan vendettas leaves out documented elements of the alternate-elector process that courts and officials in several states treated as legally significant. Readers get an accurate snapshot of recent rulings but limited context on why those rulings were contested.
Further Reading
No additional coverage comparisons were available for this analysis.
Neutral Rewrite
Here's how this article reads with loaded language removed and missing context included.
Nevada Judge Dismisses Charges Against Six Republicans in 2020 Alternate Elector Case
A Nevada judge has dismissed charges against six Republicans accused of submitting an alternate certificate of electors for the 2020 presidential election, ruling that prosecutors failed to establish fraudulent intent. The August 14 decision by Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus marked the second dismissal in the case after an earlier opportunity for prosecutors to amend their filings.
The defendants, including Nevada Republican Party chair Michael McDonald and former Clark County Republican Party chair Jesse Law, signed documents asserting that Donald Trump had carried the state. They gathered publicly outside the state legislature in December 2020 to execute the certificate. Holthus noted that the group did not conceal its actions and that the certificate could not have been accepted or recorded under state or federal law. Her order stated that the open announcement of both the actions and their asserted purpose weighed against an inference of fraudulent intent.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said his office would appeal the ruling and seek to continue the prosecution. The case involved certificates that listed Trump as the winner in a state he did not carry. Legal analysts have differed on whether such filings violated election statutes irrespective of the signers’ intent.
Similar prosecutions in other states have produced mixed results. In Michigan, a judge dismissed charges against 15 individuals in 2025, citing insufficient evidence of fraudulent intent. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel had brought the case. In Georgia, prosecutors obtained guilty pleas from several lower-level participants before the primary case against remaining defendants was dismissed following the disqualification of District Attorney Fani Willis. Arizona’s case has encountered repeated procedural delays, with Attorney General Kris Mayes indicating plans to resubmit evidence to a new grand jury. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed felony forgery charges in 2024 against three Trump campaign advisers and attorneys; that matter remains pending.
The alternate elector effort in multiple states was coordinated with the Trump campaign, according to court filings and campaign records released during related litigation. Certificates submitted in the five states asserted Trump victories in jurisdictions he lost by certified margins. Courts and legal commentators have reached differing conclusions on the lawfulness of the filings and the required showing of intent.
As of August 2026, none of the five states that initiated charges have obtained convictions on the core allegations against the primary defendants. The Nevada dismissal follows a pattern of judicial findings focused on the element of intent rather than a blanket determination that the underlying conduct was lawful. Prosecutors in the appealed cases maintain that the filings were intended to create an alternative path for electoral votes and that the public nature of the actions does not negate potential violations.
Investigation Log · 26 steps
Starting investigation...
Investigating RedState
Investigating Rusty Weiss
Source: Rusty Weiss
Rusty Weiss is a features writer and editor who has contributed to RedState.com, Bounding Into Sports, Sportsnaut, and Sports.yahoo.com since at least May 2014, focusing on sports topics with occasional political pieces. No mainstream news affiliations or awards are documented. He functions as a contributor to ideologically aligned platforms rather than a neutral news organization.
Source: RedState
RedState is a political blog launched in 2004 that publishes conservative news and opinion pieces, owned by Salem Media Group. Its content focuses on election integrity, criticism of Democratic officials, and defenses of Republican positions without independent verification. The site positions itself as 'Top Conservative News and Insights' with a consistent conservative framing.
Searching for "Nevada fake electors case dismissed 2026 Judge Mary Kay Holthus"
Verify the Nevada ruling details and outcome
Searching for "Michigan fake electors case dismissed 2025 Dana Nessel"
Confirm Michigan case status and reason for dismissal
Searching for "Georgia fake electors case Fani Willis outcome 2025 2026"
Verify status of Georgia case against Trump electors
Framing
Repeatedly labels the prosecutions as "weaponized" and highlights Democratic AGs ("See all of those 'Ds'") while framing dismissals as proof of no intent, without noting the alternate elector plan's documented coordination with Trump campaign efforts.
Creates impression that cases were purely partisan vendettas rather than attempts to address a contested legal strategy that multiple courts and officials viewed as potentially fraudulent.
Omission
Omits that the Nevada ruling was the second dismissal after prosecutors were given another chance, and that the scheme involved submitting certificates claiming Trump won states he lost, which some legal experts argued violated state law regardless of intent.
Presents the outcome as complete vindication rather than a narrow ruling on specific evidentiary thresholds for criminal intent.
Cherry-Picking
Lists outcomes only from states where cases collapsed while noting Wisconsin remains pending, but emphasizes "none of the five states... have fully and successfully prosecuted" without acknowledging that some lower-level pleas occurred in Georgia before collapse.
Selectively presents the record to support narrative of total failure rather than mixed results with procedural and evidentiary issues.
Writing analysis narrative
Writing verdict summary
Writing neutral rewrite
Investigation complete. Preparing report...
Neutral rewrite ready
Analysis narrative ready
**Investigation complete.** RedState (conservative outlet owned by Salem Media Group) and author Rusty Weiss produced a piece that correctly reports the Nevada dismissal and parallel outcomes in Michigan and Georgia but applies consistent partisan framing. **Key verified facts:** - Nevada Judge Mary Kay Holthus dismissed the case on August 14, 2026, for insufficient evidence of fraudulent intent; the group acted openly. - Michigan charges against 16 electors were dismissed in 2025; AG Dana Nessel declined to appeal. - Georgia case collapsed after Fani Willis's disqualification; remaining charges were dropped. **Findings recorded:** - Framing the prosecutions as "weaponized" by Democratic AGs while highlighting party affiliation ("See all of those 'Ds'"). - Omitting procedural history and the legal debate over the certificates' validity. - Cherry-picking outcomes to emphasize total failure while minimizing Georgia pleas. **Verdict:** C (Partisan Weaponization Framing). The article steers readers toward a vindication narrative rather than a neutral account of evidentiary rulings.
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