'Devastating for Donald Trump': Co-Conspirator Sidney Powell Pleads Guilty in Georgia Election Case
Donald Trump's former lawyer and co-conspirator Sidney Powell has reached a plea deal in the sprawling case involving efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.
Legal experts said this is a major breakthrough for the prosecutors and potentially a "devastating development" for the ex-prez.
Powell, who was charged with violating the state's anti-racketeering law, pleaded guilty to six misdemeanors accusing her of conspiring to intentionally interfere with the performance of election duties. She entered the plea just one day before the trial was set to begin.
As part of the deal, Powell will serve six years of probation, pay a $6,000 fine and write an apology letter to Georgia and its residents.
She has also agreed to testify truthfully against her co-defendants in future trials. Initially, Powell was charged with racketeering and six other counts for her alleged role in a scheme to keep Trump in power after his loss to Joe Biden.
Prosecutors claimed she participated in an unauthorized breach of election equipment in a rural Georgia county elections office.
The acceptance of a plea deal marks a significant reversal for Powell, who played a prominent role in promoting baseless conspiracy theories about a stolen election.
If compelled to testify, she could shed light on a news conference she participated in on behalf of Trump and his campaign after the election, as well as a White House meeting where strategies to influence the election outcome were discussed.
Barry Coburn, Powell's lawyer, declined to comment on the matter. Powell was scheduled to go to trial alongside lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, but with her plea deal, Chesebro will now go on trial alone. Prosecutors indicated they may offer Chesebro a plea deal as well.
The trial dates for the remaining 16 defendants, including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, have yet to be set.
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CNN legal analyst Elie Honig provided immediate analysis on the matter and highlighted the significance of Powell's plea deal.
Honig appeared on CNN News Central, where she told host Kate Bolduan, "It’s important to remember who Sidney Powell is, she’s one of Donald Trump’s closest loyalists. She’s somebody who Donald Trump has claimed he relied on her advice to proceed in his effort to try to steal this election."
"This is a major breakthrough for prosecutors, potentially a devastating development for Donald Trump, because what’s going to happen now is Sidney Powell is going to testify for prosecutors in Georgia, and presumably she’ll also be prepared to testify for Jack Smith in his federal case in Washington, D.C.," Honig explained. "She’s not indicted in that case, but she’s listed as a co-conspirator in that case."
"She’s going to be able to provide insider information that could be really devastating for Donald Trump," she added.
Prosecutors alleged that Powell conspired with bail bondsman Scott Graham Hall and others to gain unauthorized access to election equipment.
They reportedly hired a computer forensics firm to copy software and data from voting machines and computers in Coffee County, Ga. An email was sent instructing the firm to send the copied data to an unidentified lawyer associated with Powell and the Trump campaign.
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Mediaite obtained the quotes used in this article.