16 Trump supporters who allegedly tried to steal the 2020 election could face federal charges

Out Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel referred 16 Trump supporters and Republican officials who allegedly faked certificates of ascertainment saying that Donald Trump had won Michigan in 2020 to federal prosecutors. She told out MSNBC host Rachel Maddow about why their attempt to overturn the results of the election is more than just a hare-brained scheme.

“This is part of a much bigger conspiracy,” Nessel explained, saying that the alleged forgers could face 19 years in prison if prosecuted in the state of Michigan, but that she believes the potential national, coordinated effort to steal an election warrants federal attention.

Related: Out Attorney General warns “democracy falls” if pro-Trump candidates become election officials

Earlier this week, it was reported that the January 6 Committee received information that Trump supporters in Michigan and other states forged official documents saying that Trump had won key swing states in the 2020 election and sent them to the National Archives in December 2020, just weeks before Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the election.

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President Joe Biden won Michigan by 154,000 votes.

Nessel explained that she has been investigating the alleged forgery for a year now and that she could prosecute the perpetrators in Michigan. But she wants the federal government to step in because, she claimed, Trump supporters forged Trump’s victory in seven states “in what seems to be a coordinated effort between Republican parties.”

“We think this is a matter best investigated and potentially prosecuted by the feds,” Nessel said. “Just today, we referred this matter to the Western District U.S. Attorney’s Office” in hopes that the Department of Justice will get involved.