Arizona's fake Electoral College electors are again in the news. Why not in jail?

Media reports on Tuesday again highlighted (Or should we say lowlighted?) the sinister scheme of Arizona’s fake Electoral College electors and their part in trying to gut the democratic process and stage a coup to keep Donald Trump in office.

This time around, according to The New York Times, the “often slapdash efforts of advisers” to Trump included the names of reactionary Republican notables like Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward and attorney Jack Wilenchik.

The report quotes an email from Wilenchik to Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn that reads, “We (Arizona Republicans) would just be sending in ‘fake’ electoral votes to Pence so that ‘someone’ in Congress can make an objection when they start counting votes, and start arguing that the ‘fake’ votes should be counted.”

Imagine that.

Blatantly admitting that the electors were “fake.”

Wilenchik said 'fake'? He meant to say ...

Kind of damning, don’t you think?

Perhaps that is why the report noted that Wilenchik sent a follow-up email saying, “‘alternative’ votes is probably a better term than ‘fake’ votes,” followed by a smiley face emoji.

Wilenchik also pointed out Ward’s part in the scheme, saying she wanted to keep the fake electors plot “under wraps until Congress counts the vote Jan. 6th (so we can try to ‘surprise’ the Dems and media with it) – I tend to agree with her.”

We already know from previous reporting that Ward and her husband, Michael, received grand jury subpoenas from the Department of Justice regarding their involvement in the fake electors operation.

Fake electors should pay a price for this

And we’ve known about the coup attempt almost from the beginning.

All of which might cause some to wonder why these latest revelations even need to be reported?

The reason is simple. A price should be paid for trying to undermine the democratic process. Ongoing reports like this are necessary in order for us to repeat a question I started asking back in February.

It is not: Why are Arizona’s fake electors again in the news?

It is: Why aren’t Arizona’s fake electors in jail?

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona fake electors are again in the news. Why not in jail?