Watch ex-Trump lawyers preview their potential testimony in Georgia election conspiracy case
Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell told Fulton County prosecutors a little of what they know before taking plea deals
In the weeks after the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump was told by several aides and allies that he had lost his legal challenges to overturn his loss to President Biden, but he planned to stay in office anyway, lawyers Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell told Georgia prosecutors shortly before accepting plea deals in Fulton County's sprawling election conspiracy case, ABC News and The Washington Post reported Monday night.
ABC News and the Post both obtained footage of confidential interviews Ellis and Powell gave to Fulton County prosecutors to preview their potential testimony in exchange for guilty pleas to lesser charges. The Post also published video of the proffer sessions for the other two election conspiracy defendants who have taken plea deals: lawyer Kenneth Chesebro and bail bondsman Scott Hall. Neither news organization explained how they obtained the videos, but these proffers "were recently turned over to other defendants' lawyers as part of the discovery process," The New York Times reported.
Ellis testified that after she told close Trump aide Dan Scavino at a Dec. 19 White House Christmas party that the election challenges were "essentially over" after a Supreme Court loss, Scavino replied "in an excited tone" that "we don't care, and we're not going to leave,'" adding, "The boss is not going to leave under any circumstances. We are just going to stay in power."
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.
Powell told prosecutors she witnessed several White House lawyers tell Trump he had to leave office, and that she saw co-defendant Rudy Giuliani brief Trump about plans to gain access to Georgia voting equipment. Chesebro testified he told Trump about the plan to use fake electors to overturn his loss.
It's not clear how valuable this evidence, if repeated in court, would prove to prosecutors. Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman told the Post the Fulton County investigation was a "farce," while Trump lawyer Steve Sadow called the "purported private conversation" described by Ellis "absolutely meaningless" because Trump did, in fact, leave office. The Post said Ellis' testimony "could be deemed hearsay," though legal analyst Ryan Goodman disagreed. He told CNN that her "golden evidence" in the case "could be very significant" for both Georgia and federal prosecutors. "If they can show that Trump knew he lost and was still going to try to hold on to power, that's it, that's game over," Goodman argued.
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.
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Gaza ceasefire teeters as Netanyahu orders strikesSpeed Read Israel accused Hamas of firing on Israeli troops
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Is the ceasefire in Gaza really working?Today's Big Question Neither Israel and Hamas has an interest in a full return to hostilities but ‘brutally simple arithmetic’ in region may scupper peace plan long-term
-
No Kings rally: What did it achieve?Feature The latest ‘No Kings’ march has become the largest protest in U.S. history
-
Push for Ukraine ceasefire collapsesFeature Talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were called off after the Russian president refused to compromise on his demands
-
Trump eyes regime change in VenezuelaFeature Officials believe Trump’s ‘war on narco-terrorism’ is actually a push to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
‘Social media is the new tabloid’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are ICE’s recruitment woes complicating Trump’s immigration agenda?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Lowered training standards and ‘athletically allergic’ hopefuls are hindering the White House plan to turn the Department of Homeland Security into a federal police force
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
