October 24, 2023.
WASHINGTON, D.C. | Jenna Ellis, a former lawyer for ex-U.S. President Donald Trump, has tearfully pleaded guilty to a single felony count in the ongoing criminal racketeering case surrounding baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 national election. Ellis, who was one of Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the case, reached a plea deal with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, agreeing to testify against others who sought to overturn the election result.
In her guilty plea, Ellis admitted to aiding and abetting false statements about widespread fraud in the 2020 election. These are claims that continue to be made by Donald Trump as he positions himself as a leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, vying to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the next national election.
Ellis, who had worked closely with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani during the post-election challenges, expressed her regret in Fulton County Superior Court. She acknowledged that she was misled by key Trump supporters about the election’s integrity and stated, “If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges.”
As part of her plea agreement, Ellis cooperated with prosecutors by answering questions about her actions and those of other defendants involved in contesting the election results in Georgia. She was also ordered to serve three to five years of probation, complete 100 hours of community service, pay $5,000 in restitution to the Georgia secretary of state, and wrote an apology letter to the residents of Georgia.
Jenna Ellis had been charged with two counts in the Georgia case, including violating the state’s anti-racketeering law. Her decision to cooperate with the prosecution is part of a growing trend within the case, as pro-Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro have also recently pleaded guilty to various charges related to the election interference case and agreed to testify in upcoming trials.
The case against Donald Trump himself is centered on a recorded telephone call in which he allegedly solicited state election officials in Georgia to “find” him 11,780 votes, one more than Joe Biden’s margin of victory in the state. Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing in this case and three other criminal cases he is facing, totaling 91 charges.
No trial date has been set for Trump’s case in Georgia, but other trials are scheduled for the first half of 2024, coinciding with Trump’s third run for the presidency. He faces charges in Washington for federal election interference, in Florida for retaining classified documents after his presidency, and in New York for falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to a porn film star in 2016.
If convicted in any of these cases, Donald Trump could potentially face years in prison, a significant development with significant implications for U.S. politics.
