LANSING, Mich., Sept. 14,2025
Attorney General’s Office faces calls to clear names of individuals wrongly labeled as co-conspirators
An Ingham County judge dismissed charges against “fake electors.” Now, some say the AG’s office must formally exonerate those it named but didn’t charge.
- Charges against 15 “fake electors” in Michigan were dismissed by a judge.
- Three individuals named as unindicted co-conspirators say they were never told why.
- These individuals seek official statements clearing their names after the dismissal.
- Questions linger about the political motivation behind naming individuals without charging them.
since April,Tom Leonard has been waiting for a call from Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office. The call was suppose to explain why he was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the criminal case against 15 Republicans. These individuals falsely declared President Donald Trump won Michigan’s 2020 electoral votes.
Leonard, his wife Jenell Leonard, and GOP operative Stu Sandler should now receive that description. They deserve an official statement on the court record clearing their names. The reasons for their inclusion as unindicted co-conspirators appear rooted in political vindictiveness by the AG’s office. None have been told why they were alleged to have participated in criminal activity for which they were not charged.
Now that an Ingham County judge has thrown out the charges against the 15 false electors, the Leonards and Sandler should have their names cleared and reputations restored. Tom Leonard, a former speaker of the Michigan House, ran against Nessel in 2018. He is also a 2026 candidate for Michigan governor. Sandler worked for the state party and now serves as chief of staff for Florida Sen. Rick Scott.
The judge’s decision to dismiss the charges should be a signal to Nessel to end this politically motivated pursuit. this would align with her past actions. Nessel incurred $53 million in taxpayer costs during her pursuit of former Gov. Rick Snyder and his team in the Flint water crisis case.This continued even after a Michigan Supreme Court justice likened the prosecution’s methods to a Star Chamber.
Nessel suggested after the ruling that the judge might have feared retribution from pro-Trump forces. This is an unwarranted attack on Simmons’ integrity. The reality is the attorney general’s prosecutors failed to prove a weak case from the start.
She should end the prosecution and officially remove the slur on the names of the three people who were wrongfully implicated.
