Is Ronna McDaniel Facing Bribery Charges in Michigan?

The newly revealed phone call has raised assumptions that the RNC Chairwoman and Former President could face bribery charges in Michigan. 

Why? Let’s read the news and find out. 

Is Ronna McDaniel Facing Bribery Charges in Michigan?

According to a report on Saturday, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel may face bribery charges in Michigan for her alleged involvement in former President Donald Trump‘s 2020 election conspiracy case. 

Michigan officials revealed that the RNC head was involved in the former President’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in his favor. 

According to the recently disclosed audio of a November 17, 2020, phone call, Trump and McDaniel tried to convince Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, not to certify the 2020 presidential election results in Biden’s favor. In a phone call two weeks after the 2020 election, Trump told the two election officials they would look “terrible” if they certified the election results. “We have got to fight for our country. We can’t let these people take our country away,” the former President said. 

Later, McDaniel said on the call, “If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. We will get you attorneys after Trump concludes, “We will take care of that.” 

According to Anthony Michael Kreis of the Georgia State University College of Law, McDaniel’s offering of attorneys to election officials to fight potential legal problems could be used to file bribery charges against her. 

Posting a screenshot of the bribery laws in Michigan, Kries wrote on X, “It seems like Ronna McDaniel could be in some trouble in Michigan, and Donald Trump may be facing a fifth set of charges. A promise was offered in exchange for an official act, unlike in Georgia where the preferred method appears limited to browbeating state officials.” 

His post added, “And that’s before any other public corruption/election fraud conspiracy type crimes that could be well implicated.” 

The reported old telephonic conversation between the RNC chairman, former President, and Michigan’s state officials carries the possibility that McDaniel’s could be accused of bribery if Michigan state officials interpret ‘offering attorneys’ as an attempt to offer bribery to public officials. However, it is still unclear whether McDaniel is sure to face the bribery charges in Michigan. 

Will Donald Trump Face Bribery Charges?

In a separate anticipation, the disclosed November 2020 phone call recording raises questions about whether Trump will face bribery charges in Michigan. 

The phone call shows the former President and the RNC Chairman pressuring two state election officials to stop them from signing the document and certifying the 2020 election results. 

Whether Trump will face the bribery charges depends on the legal interpretation of his ‘offering of attorneys’ to election officials. 

Under Michigan state law, bribery of a public officer consists of an ‘offer or promise’ which can be any ‘gift, gratuity, money, property or other valuable thing,’ the purpose of which is to influence the act, vote, opinion, decision or judgment of such a public officer.

Several legal experts have suggested their views on the likelihood of the former President getting accused. 

Professor Kreis wrote in his post on X, “The real issue is whether providing a lawyer is a ‘valuable thing .’ On the one hand, it isn’t what we would typically consider as being offered as a bribe. On the other hand, it is a materially valuable thing offered in exchange for a corrupt official act.” 

He added, “If we think of bribery (statutes) as criminalizing the offering/accepting of goods that are enriching or personally benefiting the public official, then dangling an attorney falls outside that prohibition. But the terms of this statute aren’t so limited. Be curious to see case law.” 

In another statement, former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance wrote, “Offering an official something of value (services of a lawyer) in exchange for withholding official action (certifying the Wayne County vote) sounds like a classic case of bribery under Michigan State law.” 

In yet another statement specifying the probability of Trump facing bribery charges, Ian Bassin, co-founder of Protect Democracy and a former associate White House counsel, wrote on X, “My guess is the Michigan Attorney General is reviewing the statute of limitations on Michigan Code Section 750.118. If Trump offered Wayne County Board members a thing of value in exchange for them taking an official act for him, there’s a word for that.”

Although the Michigan Attorney General’s office had earlier indicted 16 Republicans about offering fake electors to make the former President win the 2020 election, it is unclear whether Michigan’s law officials are considering bribery claims against Trump. 

As such, it is undecided if the former President will face bribery charges in the state. He could be indicted if the law officials decide that the offer to pay for the lawyers of two election officials was an act of bribery of a public official. 

Also, Read | Trump’s conventional Christmas Message on Truth Social?

Why Will Trump and His GOP Henchwoman Regret That Michigan Phone Call?

The phone call between Trump, MacDaniel, and Michigan election officials in November 2020 may generate specific legal and political consequences for these personalities, making them regret their conversation. 

While it is uncertain if the former President and RNC Chairman will be charged with bribery in Michigan for offering attorneys to election officials, the phone call that has revealed their failed attempt to change the 2020 election results with the help of two Michigan election officials can induce legal challenges. It can be considered important evidence against Trump and McDaniel from the criminal law viewpoint.

The recording could double the legal problem for the former President, who is already facing two criminal lawsuits for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Washington DC, and in Georgia because it could be used as evidence to find out about Trump’s illegal acts during and after the 2020 election and how he attempted to stay in power after he lost the election to President Biden. 

Moreover, it could damage McDaniel and Trump’s reputation among the people. This may especially impact the former President, a front-runner for the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential race.