NV ‘Fake Electors’ Attend DC Grand Jury on Capitol Hill Attack

(Photo : Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Nevada GOP officials Michael McDonald and Jim DeGraffenreid were reportedly summoned to the Washington grand jury Tuesday.

Republican chair for Nevada Michael McDonald and vice chair Jim DeGraffenreid were spotted entering the room where the grand jury on the 2021 US Capitol riot is meeting Tuesday.

NBC News reported McDonald jokingly saying, "Not on my bucket list" when asked about having to appear in the Washington DC grand jury on the same day as former US president Donald Trump's court date in Miami. He previously confirmed federal authorities seized his cellphone as part of the investigation.

McDonald was a close personal friend of Trump as he was spotted visiting Mar-a-Lago as part of a Nevada delegation Trump was courting for endorsements for his re-election bid. In his previous appearance before the Jan. 6 Select Committee, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 200 times.

Both McDonald and DeGraffenreid served as "fake electors," who were responsible for signing certification documents purporting Trump's 2020 election victory in their states despite the fact he lost.

The appearance came a week after a federal grand jury in Washington summoned former Trump White House official Steve Bannon in connection with special counsel Jack Smith's investigation on the Capitol Hill attack.

Former vice president and current GOP presidential hopeful Mike Pence also testified before the grand jury in April.

The grand jury investigating Trump's actions during the Capitol riot was separate from the grand jury in Miami, which heard testimony last week about his handling of classified documents.