The walls keep caving in on Donald Trump as another former ally pleads guilty. Jenna Ellis is the third attorney from his camp to admit her wrongdoings in the Georgia case over efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Are these people genuinely remorseful, just scared, or do they really understand the massive legal challenges here and they wanted to be as strategic as possible? Or all of the above?
Either way, this continues to be bad news for Trump. Even setting aside the massive legal implications, it must be a huge blow to his incredibly fragile ego to see his former allies and biggest sycophants turn against him. Ellis went to court early this morning in Atlanta and admitted to giving false information in relation to some ridiculous claims by Rudy Giuliani. That included totally unsubstantiated claims that 100,000 mail-in ballots were fraudulently cast and 2,500 felons voted illegally.
According to Axios, prosecutors have recommended that Ellis serve 5 years of probation, do 100 hours of community service, and write a letter of apology to the people of Georgia. That seems like little more than a slap on the wrist but we’ll have to wait to see her actual sentencing. Additionally, as part of the plea deal, she agreed to cooperate with the prosecutors going forward in this case—meaning she’s joining the team working to bring down Trump.
Who is Jenna Ellis?
Embed from Getty ImagesEllis was a key crony in the campaign to overturn the 2020 election. She was close with Giuliani, which is never a good sign. They had traveled to states where Biden won and pushed some Republican lawmakers to appoint alternate (Trump-friendly) electors. This is an underrated component of all of the election denialism and the schemes to overturn the will of the people.
The Electoral College is already problematic. But when you try to simply ignore the votes of each state, even within this faulty system, that shows you have no concern for democracy.
Ellis joins Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro as other former Trump attorneys who have recently pleaded guilty to their roles in this scheme. In court Tuesday, she reportedly teared up as she expressed regret for her role in the plot. “If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges,” she said. “I look back on this whole experience with deep remorse.”
(featured image: John Bazemore-Pool/Getty Images)
Published: Oct 24, 2023 12:18 pm