Role: Former Chairman, Georgia Republican Party (2019–2023); former Georgia state senator (2002–2018) including Senate President Pro Tempore (2017–2018); leader of the Georgia “fake electors” slate that convened December 14, 2020 in the Georgia State Capitol; co-defendant in the Fulton County RICO prosecution (August 2023 indictment) (Source: State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump et al., Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947, indictment filed Aug. 14, 2023).

Status: As of 2026, Shafer is indicted in Fulton County (August 2023, RICO + multiple counts including filing false documents) (Source: State v. Trump et al., Case No. 23SC188947). Pleaded not guilty. Case status frozen following proceedings surrounding District Attorney Fani Willis’s disqualification. Federal: subject of Special Counsel investigation; not individually charged in the dismissed federal case against Trump (Source: United States v. Trump, No. 1:23-cr-00257-TSC (D.D.C.); dismissed 2025).

Background

Origins and Political Career

David Shafer (born July 14, 1965) attended Mercer University. Active in Georgia Republican politics from 1980s onwards.

Georgia State Senate (2002-2018)

• 16-year career in Georgia State Senate
• Various leadership roles
• Senate President Pro Tempore (2017-2018) — top Senate leadership position
• 2018: Lost Republican primary for Lt. Governor

Georgia Republican Party Chairman (2019-2023)

• Took GAGOP chairmanship 2019
• Built party infrastructure
• 2020 election cycle: Coordinator of state-level Trump campaign

2020 Election Period

• Direct participation in the December 14, 2020 fake-electors slate
• Convened slate in Georgia State Capitol
• Signed forged electoral certificate
• Coordinated with Boris Epshteyn, Kenneth Chesebro on logistics

2021-2023 Period

• Continued as GAGOP chairman
• Substantial state-level Trump-aligned activity
• 2023: Did not seek re-election as chairman

Trump 2.0 Period

• No formal administration role
• Reduced public visibility due to indictment

Role in Democratic Erosion / J6

Fake Electors Slate Leadership

• Principal organizer of the GA fake-electors meeting
• Convened slate at GA State Capitol Dec 14, 2020
• Signed forged electoral certificate transmitted to NARA / Senate / VP Pence
• Coordinated with Trump campaign personnel

State-Party Infrastructure

• Used GAGOP infrastructure for state-level “election integrity” advocacy
• Coordinated Republican-base mobilization
• Coordinated with Cleta Mitchell, etc. on election-administration pressure

Legal Status and Investigations

Criminal

• Georgia (Fulton County): RICO indictment + multiple counts (August 2023); pleaded not guilty
• Federal: Subject of investigation; not individually charged

J6 Committee

• Subpoenaed
• Documents central to Committee report

Personal-Public Interest Conflicts

Financial Holdings

• Various business/consulting activities
• Limited disclosed personal holdings

Foreign Exposure

• No FARA registrations

Specific Decisions Intersecting Personal Interests

• Legal-defense funding: Substantial legal-defense costs
• State-party-network engagement: Continued political position depends on continued party-network engagement

Key Connections

• Donald Trump — Direct (2020 campaign)
• Brian Kemp (GA Governor) — Adversarial post-2020
• Brad Raffensperger (GA SOS) — Adversarial post-2020
• Boris Epshteyn — Direct (2020 coordination)
• Kenneth Chesebro — Direct (2020 coordination)
• Rudy Giuliani — Direct (2020 coordination)
• Other GA fake electors: Shawn Still, Cathy Latham, etc.

Investigative trail pointers (public records)

Education only — verify independently. Absence of hits is not proof.

Use public-records-research-specialist, corporate-intelligence-investigator, and public-corruption-ombudsman evidence tiers.

Factual correction requests: If you believe information in this profile is incorrect, please contact factcheck@patriot.university with your name (optional), the specific claim, and any supporting documentation. We review all submissions and correct verified errors promptly.

For Trump Supporters: Questions Worth Considering

David Shafer was the Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party when he personally convened the fake electors slate at the Georgia State Capitol on December 14, 2020 — the same day Georgia’s legitimate electors were certifying Biden’s victory. He signed a fraudulent electoral certificate purporting to award Georgia’s electoral votes to Trump. Biden had won Georgia by approximately 11,779 votes. Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, after multiple audits, certified Biden’s victory as accurate. Shafer was indicted in Fulton County in August 2023 on RICO charges and multiple counts including filing false documents. He pleaded not guilty.

Here’s a question worth sitting with: Shafer was the head of the Georgia Republican Party — responsible for the party’s integrity and institutional reputation. He used that position to convene a meeting at the state capitol where participants signed a document claiming Georgia’s electoral votes belonged to Trump, despite the Republican Secretary of State certifying Biden won. An electoral certificate is a legal government document. Signing one that falsely claims votes you don’t have is — according to the Fulton County indictment — potentially criminal. If a Democratic state party chairman had convened a fake electors meeting and signed a fraudulent certificate claiming their candidate won a state they had actually lost — what would you call that? Would it be a political dirty trick, a legal violation, or something more serious?

A second question about the accountability process: Shafer was indicted by a Fulton County grand jury — a body of Georgia citizens. The indictment came under Georgia’s RICO statute, the same type of law used to prosecute organized crime. He has pleaded not guilty. The case has been complicated by proceedings related to District Attorney Fani Willis. Whatever you think of the politics around the prosecution, the underlying documented facts are not in serious dispute: Shafer did convene the fake electors, he did sign the certificate, the certificate was transmitted to federal authorities. Those events happened. If you believe the documented facts warrant legal scrutiny — that signing fraudulent government documents as part of a coordinated scheme to overturn a certified election result should face accountability — does the indictment represent the justice system working correctly?

Sources

• State v. Trump et al., Fulton County RICO indictment (August 2023)
• January 6th Select Committee Final Report
• NYT, multiple investigative pieces
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution, multiple pieces

Cross-References

• Personality Profile: Donald J. Trump
• Boris Epshteyn — Political Accountability Profile
• Kenneth Chesebro — Political Accountability Profile
• Rudolph (Rudy) Giuliani — Political Accountability Profile
• Kelli Ward — Political Accountability Profile
• Andrew Hitt — Political Accountability Profile
• January 6th Coup Plotters and Co-Conspirators
• Democratic Collapse Scenario Planning and Survival Guide
• Conflicts of Interest Matrix — Trump 2.0 Administration & Movement Network