How bad for Trump is Sidney Powell's cooperative plea deal in Georgia?
Powell pleaded guilty in Fulton County's 2020 election interference case — and agreed to testify truthfully against her 18 co-defendants


"The Kraken has been released — on probation," David Graham wrote at The Atlantic. Sidney Powell, the lawyer who memorably promised to "release the Kraken" as part of her conspiracy-fueled efforts to overturn former President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election, unexpectedly pleaded guilty to six reduced election interference charges in Fulton County, Georgia, on Thursday. In return for handing over documents and testifying against her co-defendants in the sprawling racketeering case brought by District Attorney Fani Willis, Powell will serve six years of probation, pay $8,700 in fines and restitution, and apologize to the citizens of Georgia.
"To put it more colloquially, Powell flipped," Jeremey Stahl explained at Slate. "This is awful news for Donald Trump." Powell is the first person in Trump's post-election inner circle to take a plea deal, and "she could shed light on a number of gambits he undertook to stay in power despite the will of the voters," The New York Times reported. Notably, she was in a wild Dec. 18, 2020, Oval Office meeting in which Trump floated a series of extreme measures to stay in power.
Powell can "testify to what Trump said at that meeting," former federal prosecutor Amy Lee Copeland told The Daily Beast. "And we don't have a whole lot of people who’ve been willing to do that."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump lawyer Steve Sadow suggested Powell's "truthful testimony" would "be favorable to my overall defense strategy."
"The only downside for prosecutors in calling Powell is her credibility, given the wildness of the conspiracy theories she has espoused," Stahl noted. Several legal experts said her sweetheart deal spoke volumes. "You don't give a no-jail plea deal unless that person's got something very good to say that will help your case against the others," said former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R).
“It's a great deal" for Powell, Georgia State law professor Anthony Michael Kreis told The Atlantic. And "I think there are a lot of people who are in more trouble than they were before." That includes Trump but also Rudy Giuliani, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, and attorney John Eastman. Unless they also flip, Graham noted. "Powell's conviction could be the first domino in a dramatic cascade, or simply an early piece taken off the board in a long, grueling chess match."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Frauds: ‘fantastically stylish’ crime heist caper is a ‘triumph’
The Week Recommends Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker play a pair of ex-cons planning one last job
-
The struggles of Aston Martin
In the Spotlight The car manufacturer, famous for its association with the James Bond franchise, is ‘running out of road’
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rights
The Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?
Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
The GOP: Merging flag and cross
Feature Donald Trump has launched a task force to pursue “anti-Christian policies”
-
Five key questions about the Gaza peace deal
The Explainer Many ‘unresolved hurdles’ remain before Donald Trump’s 20-point plan can get the go-ahead
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?
Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her