Marian Sheridan, one of 15 Michigan Republicans whose felony charges were dismissed in the high-profile Republican elector case, is speaking publicly on TV for the first time about what she calls a politically motivated prosecution.
Sheridan, who served as the 11th Congressional District Republican elector from Oakland County, told Local 4 she believed she was carrying out her duty on Dec. 14, 2020, when she joined other Republicans in Lansing to sign paperwork as part of an alternate slate of electors.
“It made total sense to me and the other electors that this is what we should do in order to protect the vote in Michigan because there was so much turmoil surrounding that election,” Sheridan said.
Guided by Republican attorneys, Sheridan said she believed the group’s actions were legal and intended to preserve options if the election outcome were later overturned. She rejected the “fake elector” label, calling it inaccurate and defamatory.
“It was the same thing as being in a courtroom and having a person there that’s been accused of murder and then having the prosecutor refer to the defendant as a murderer,” Sheridan said. “So it’s wrong.”
Sheridan and the other Republicans were charged with forgery and conspiracy, crimes that carried potential prison sentences of more than a decade if convicted.
But Michigan District Court Judge Kristen Simmons, appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, dismissed all charges this week.
The judge ruled that the defendants genuinely believed they were exercising their constitutional rights to challenge an election they viewed as flawed.
Asked whether she believed the charges were politically motivated, Sheridan replied: “Oh yeah, oh yeah, no doubt.”
“All through history, people have been persecuted and prosecuted by governments,” Sheridan said. “I would think that the United States would be different.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, whose office brought the charges, criticized the ruling.
“They knew they were not electors,” Nessel said. “They knew they were not inside the Capitol, they knew Donald Trump lost, but then they lied anyway. And that is a crime.”
Nessel said her office is still considering whether to appeal at a later time.
Sheridan estimated the case has cost each defendant between $100,000 and $250,000 in legal fees.
“It was a fake hoax put together by Dana Nessel to prosecute her political opponents,” Sheridan said. “This should have never happened in America.”
Sheridan said the case has left lasting scars but insists she would not change her actions on Dec. 14, 2020. She also continues to express doubts about the results of the 2020 election.
The full, uncut interview can be found below.