Chesebro, Troupis settle in election interference case

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Published 11:01 a.m. March 4, 2024. Last updated 5:15 p.m. CST on March 4, 2024.

Two Wisconsin natives and attorneys who were allegedly central to a plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election have reached a settlement Monday, a source familiar with the case told the Wisconsin Law Journal.

Kenneth Chesebro, who unsuccessfully attempted to void President Joseph Biden’s victory in seven states, and former Dane County Judge Jim Troupis, who led Trump’s Wisconsin legal strategy, reached a settlement Monday.

Chesebro also unveiled 1400 pages of legal documents Monday never seen before by the public.

Both attorneys admitted no liability, but agreed to not engage in similar actions during future elections, according to court documents obtained by the Wisconsin Law Journal. 

“Under the terms of the settlement, Defendants Troupis and Chesebro are prohibited from participating in the execution or transmission of electoral college votes by presidential electors whose candidate has not been certified the winner under state law without an express provision indicating that the ballots are contingent on successful litigation that would change the outcome of the election in the state. The ballots, certified and transmitted by the 10 Wisconsin Trump-Pence electors in 2020, contained no such contingency, and were the basis for efforts to overturn the results on January 6,” said Attorney Jeff Mandell, partner at Stafford Rosenbaum and Law Forward Board president.

According to court documents, various communications including, text messages and emails revel how Troupis and Chesebro collaborated to what prosecutors have called “a multistate conspiracy to prevent Biden from taking office.”

“The entire fake-electors scheme was conducted at highest level of the Trump administration, in an attempt to undermine a free and fair election in the state of Wisconsin,” said Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Ann Jacobs, during a phone interview with the Wisconsin Law Journal Monday.

Others agreed.

“Troupis and Chesebro orchestrated an egregious and unprecedented scheme to undermine the will of the voters, in Wisconsin and beyond,” said Mandell.

“This case was the first to seek accountability for those individuals who tried to overturn the will of Wisconsin voters. Through this litigation, we have been able to reveal the details of the scheme and those who were responsible, to ensure this never happens again,” Mandell said.

According to Mandell, the settlements with Troupis and Chesebro “come on the heels of a settlement in December with the defendants who acted as Wisconsin’s fraudulent electors, whereby they also agreed to a number of restrictions, including to never serve as presidential electors or participate in the execution or transmission of electoral votes in any U.S. presidential election featuring Donald J. Trump.”

Two Wisconsin (Democrat) electors along with a voter filed the 2022 lawsuit claiming Trump and his supporters conspired to overturn his electoral loss.

According to the Associated Press, Trump lost Wisconsin by less than 21,000 votes. However, as a part of the alleged conspiracy, the electors claimed he had won the state.

The Wisconsin cases are on the heels of a Georgia case, with the same defendants.

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, the case against former President Donald Trump in Georgia hit another obstacle recently as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is now facing misconduct charges, putting the entire case in legal jeopardy.

Willis was asked by her own office not to resume her testimony, which paused Feb 16.  in the wake of allegations she had an inappropriate relationship with the chief prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case against Trump and more than a dozen co-defendants, including Chesebro.

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, in October of 2023, Chesebro pleaded guilty to a felony moments before voir dire was slated to begin in Georgia.

In a motion obtained by the Wisconsin Law Journal, lawyers argued “Mr. Chesebro is alleged to have acted in ways that interfered with Georgia’s rules, processes, and procedures of determining its electors for the 2020 presidential election. However, every action undertaken by Mr. Chesebro, however limited, was justified under Georgia and Federal law. Mr. Chesebro, being an expert in constitutional law, acted within his capacity as a lawyer in researching and finding precedents in order to form a legal opinion which was then supplied to his client, the Trump Campaign. Nothing about Mr. Chesebro’s conduct falls outside the bounds of what lawyers do on a daily basis; researching the law in order to find solutions that address their clients particularized needs.”

However, Chesebro claimed he acted “within his capacity as a lawyer” for former President Donald Trump, claiming he was only trying to find solutions for his client’s “particularized needs.”

The misconduct allegations look into who paid for travel when accompanied by the lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade.

Pursuant to Georgia law, if Willis is disqualified, a new attorney would take over who would be faced with the decision to proceed with the charges against Trump and co-defendants, or drop the case altogether.

Assuming Willis is disqualified and a new lawyer went forward with the case, the probability of a new trial before the 2024 November election is unlikely, The Associated Press reported, noting the testimony was “fiery and sometimes combative,” as Willis was grilled by a team of lawyers about her romantic relationship with Wade. Counsel for the former president argued the relationship Willis had now creates a conflict of interest that should force Willis off the case.

Trump posted to social media recently attacking the integrity of Georgia’s judicial system.

“It was a FAKE CASE from the start, and now everybody sees it for what it is, a MAJOR LEAGUE SCANDAL!” Trump said.

“The legal pundits, experts, and scholars are all screaming that this Witch Hunt, which has hurt so many fine people and patriots, should be immediately terminated and permanently erased from everyone’s memory. The stench of what has happened should shame Georgia no longer. It should get back to GREATNESS, and FAST!,” Trump added.

It is not yet known of the judge will rule on whether Willis and her office should be disqualified from the case.

The Wisconsin Law Journal requested an interview with Willis in February in Atlanta, but she was not available.