Giuliani and Arizona co-defendants plead 'not guilty' in Trump 2020 election case

PHOENIX − Former Donald Trump campaign lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Christina Bobb pleaded not guilty Tuesday as they and nine local Republicans faced charges in Arizona over an alleged plan to keep Donald Trump in the White House by falsely certifying he won the state in 2020.

Giuliani, a former mayor of New York, and Bobb, a current "election integrity" counsel to the Republican National Committee, are among 18 people indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury last month. All face nine felony counts, including conspiracy, forgery and fraud. Giuliani appeared remotely Tuesday and was ordered to post a $10,000 appearance bond.

Addressing the judge by phone, Giuliani said the Arizona indictment was a "completely political case."

Donald Trump an 'unindicted co-conspirator'

Trump himself was not charged in the Arizona case, but he is clearly identified in the indictment as "Unindicted Co-conspirator 1," who is described as a "former president of the United States who spread false claims of election fraud following the 2020 election." Trump faces federal and state election interference cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith in Washington D.C., and by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Atlanta.

The Arizona Attorney General's Office released an unredacted version of the indictment Monday, over three weeks after its initial release. The move came after Giuliani, a former top federal prosecutor, was served a notice of the charges at a party for his 80th birthday Friday night − after weeks of evading and taunting prosecutors.

More:Rudy Giuliani gets summons at birthday party in Arizona case 'Nobody is above the law': AG

Giuliani had no immediate comment after his Arizona arraignment. He did release a video on X, the former Twitter, announcing "my own brand of organic specialty coffee, Rudy Coffee!" He is a co-defendant with Trump in the Georgia election case.

On Friday, former Trump lawyer John Eastman was the first defendant to be arraigned. He entered a plea of not guilty. After the hearing, he said he would fight the case against him at trial.

The remaining defendants have pushed their arraignments to June.

More:Rudy Giuliani suspended from WABC radio station over false claims about 2020 election

Who are the Trump aides and fake electors arraigned on Tuesday?

Christina Bobb, Trump aide: Lawyer for the Trump campaign who, according to the indictment, worked closely with Giuliani. She lobbied Arizona's GOP legislators after the 2020 election to ignore the presidential race outcome in the state and helped organize the fake elector voting on Dec. 14, 2020, the indictment states.

Tyler Bowyer, fake elector: An executive with Turning Point USA and Republican National Committee member. Bowyer told The Republic in 2022 about the fake elector plan, saying he didn't know "all the details and facts" but confirming he was an elector for the state GOP.

Nancy Cottle, fake elector: Chairperson of the Arizona Trump electors. Cottle has served on the Arizona GOP executive committee and the Maricopa County Republican Committee. She was subpoenaed by the House Select Committee investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Rudy Giuliani, Trump aide: Former Trump lawyer and former mayor of New York City. In Arizona after the 2020 election, according to the indictment, Giuliani spread misinformation about election fraud, pressured elected officials to change the outcome of the election, and held an event in downtown Phoenix where he said Arizona election officials had not tried to determine whether the election results were accurate. The indictment also states he encouraged Republican electors in Arizona and six other states to declare Trump the winner.

Anthony Kern, fake elector: A state senator from Glendale who was outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when it was breached by rioters. An avid Trump supporter, Kern has dismissed questions about the electors' case and said he did not need a lawyer (though he now has one in the case). In March, he called the investigation a "weaponization of our government" that he said was motivated by an attempt to bankrupt him and keep him from Congress. He's running in a crowded Republican primary for Congressional District 8.

Robert Montgomery, fake elector: A former head of the Cochise County Republican Committee. He has supported hand-counting ballots and pushed county leaders to ignore warnings about that error-prone process before the 2022 election.

Samuel Moorhead, fake elector: Former second vice chair of the Gila County Republican Party, which was a ranking but not top position.

Loraine Pellegrino, fake elector: Secretary for the Arizona Trump electors, Pellegrino has a long history of leadership in state GOP politics. The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol subpoenaed her. In January 2022, she said the electors offered a contingency plan in case the election results were overturned.

Gregory Safsten, fake elector: Former executive director of the Arizona GOP, a position he held when he acted as a Trump elector in December 2020.

Kelli Ward, fake elector: A former chair of the Arizona GOP, Ward organized the Dec. 14, 2020, signing of the fake electors. She sat at the head of the table while a signing video was filmed and boasted about the moment on Twitter, The Republic reported. She helped promote election conspiracies, helped Trump aides in their efforts to pressure Arizona's GOP leaders and filed multiple lawsuits trying to overturn Trump's loss in 2020.

Michael Ward, fake elector: A well-known GOP activist, Ward was subpoenaed by the U.S. Department of Justice in its investigation of Trump's election interference. He is married to Kelli Ward.

The Republic's Stacey Barchenger contributed to this article.

Elena Santa Cruz, Miguel Torres and Jimmy Jenkins are justice reporters for The Republic.