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."
Subscribe to 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.
-
'Trucking is a dangerous business'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Higher toy prices from Trump's tariffs have arrived
In the Spotlight Three out of four toy products in the US come from China
-
'Trucking is a dangerous business'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
Trump's strikes on Iran: a 'spectacular success'?
In Depth Military humiliations 'expose the brittleness' of Tehran's ageing regime, but risk reinforcing its commitment to its nuclear program
-
Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?
today's big question The cost of keeping Trump happy
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance