A third former lawyer representing Donald Trump has entered a guilty plea in an election subversion case in Georgia. The plea deal was made with Fulton County prosecutors and makes Jenna Ellis the fourth out of 19 co-defendants to admit guilt.
Ellis stands accused of drafting a letter to Georgia officials claiming that the state’s election results were invalid. She has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting false statements and writings, facing five years of probation, a $5,000 (£4,108) restitution fee, and 100 hours of community service.
As part of the deal, Ellis penned a letter of apology to Georgia and will testify in all related proceedings. In exchange for her guilty plea, the prosecution dropped Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges that she initially faced.
In her plea agreement, Ellis also implicated former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, admitting that she aided his “false statements” about voter fraud. Giuliani has pleaded not guilty.
During her court appearance, Ellis expressed regret and stated that she would have declined to represent Donald Trump if she had known the full extent of the situation.
In recent developments, Ellis and two other former Trump lawyers, Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, have pleaded guilty in the case. Another co-defendant, Scott Hall, who worked as a bail bondsman, also reached a plea agreement in September.
Unlike some of Trump’s other co-defendants, Ellis did not receive financial assistance from the former president or pro-Trump organizations. However, her team has raised over $216,431 (£177,828) through a donations page.
The lawyer, who hosts a radio programme for the American Family Network, has previously expressed her decision not to support Trump’s potential future White House bid, citing his refusal to acknowledge any wrongdoing.
The early guilty pleas from Ellis and others may signify mounting legal troubles for Trump, as potential witnesses against him continue to emerge.
Steve Sadow, lead counsel for Trump in the Georgia case, criticized the prosecution’s dismissal of RICO charges, suggesting that it was a strategic move by District Attorney Fani Willis.
