Former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty Tuesday in the Georgia election subversion case and will cooperate with Fulton County prosecutors – the third guilty plea in the past week.
At an unscheduled hearing in Atlanta, Ellis pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting false statements, a felony stemming from the election lies that Ellis and other Donald Trump lawyers peddled to Georgia lawmakers in December 2020.
She was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution.
Ellis delivered a tearful statement to the judge Tuesday while pleading guilty, disavowing her participation in Trump’s unprecedented attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
That’s the penalty for subverting American democracy?
It’s a message.
“Cooperate in nailing Trump to the wall and look at what a sweetheart deal I can give you. Don’t wait too long though, or someone else might get the deal before you do…”
I was actually kind of worried about Powell and Chesebro getting deals because Willis had a really good reason to avoid their trial happening. It seemed to me that she was getting them off the table to focus on the larger trial in the spring. Having Ellis flip changes that analysis since she wouldn’t have been such a priority to get off the docket. I think Willis got something good from Powell and Chesebro and is going to each of the conspirators now and showing them how truly fucked they are.
It is when you then use the events you witnessed to testify and roll up the people who were directly and proximately responsible for that nightmare.
I do not think that her participation was so critical to the events as to mean “but for” her actions the plot wouldn’t have existed. I do think that “but for” TFG and Guiliani’s participation, those events never would have happened.
Seems fair to me that she gets a lighter sentence, and the plotters responsible for the entirety of the conspiracy get justice.
Also, she’ll certainly never practice law again when all of this is over. Minor credit blemishes are enough to fail C&F in some places, can’t see a state bar overlooking this.