Donald Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis admits to false election claims: Ellis, who frequently represented former President Trump on television and in the courtroom during his quest to claim a stolen election, made admissions in a Colorado disciplinary process
Donald Trump: A Lawyer’s Worst Nightmare?
It’s probably no fun at all to represent Donald Trump as one of his lawyers.
Even beyond having an unpredictable client who is known for cycling through lawyers and refusing to pay people whose work dissatisfies him, representing Donald Trump can require attorneys to choose between pleasing their client and putting their license to practice law at risk.
Jenna Ellis, who was one of the most prominent attorneys for the former president when he was challenging the results of the 2020 election, had to make that choice, and according to a recent disciplinary process, she chose poorly.
According to Politico, Ellis admitted in a Colorado disciplinary proceeding that she misrepresented evidence at least ten times.
“While serving as a senior legal advisor to the then-President of the United States and as counsel for his reelection campaign, Jenna Lynn Ellis… repeatedly made misrepresentations on national television and on Twitter, undermining the American public’s confidence in the 2020 presidential election,” the Colorado court said in its ruling. “The parties stipulate that Respondent’s misconduct warrants public censure, and the Presiding Disciplinary Judge (“the Court”) approves the parties’ stipulation.”
The ruling also states that while Ellis was never counsel of record for any of the actual legal cases brought by the president in order to challenge the election result, she was in fact “counsel for the then-President’s reelection campaign and as personal counsel to the then-President.”
Many of the false statements came in media appearances, on cable news, and on social media, made by Ellis, which were frequent during Trump’s efforts to dispute the election result in late 2020 and early 2021.
Among Ellis’ false statements, according to the ruling: That Hillary Clinton had never conceded the 2016 presidential election, that “we know that the election was stolen from President Trump and we can prove that,” “the election was stolen and Trump won by a landslide,” the notion that voting systems in multiple states were corrupted by their voting systems, and referring to Trump as “proper and true victor.”
“Respondent made these misrepresentations on Twitter and on various television programs, including Fox Business, MSNBC, Fox News, and Newsmax,” disciplinary judge Bryon Large wrote, as reported by Politico. “the parties agree that by making these misrepresentations, Respondent violated [a state attorney rule of conduct], which provides that it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.”
Ellis, after the story broke, posted a long statement to Twitter denying that she had lied.
“The politically-motivated Left failed miserably in their attempt to destroy me. They’re now trying to falsely discredit me by saying I admitted I lied,” she said. “That is FALSE. I would NEVER lie. Lying requires INTENTIONALLY making a false statement. I never did that, nor did I stipulate to or admit that.”
She added that “the Colorado bar counsel and my counsel concluded that it was best to resolve the bar complaints by agreeing to a public censure.”
So what’s true?
According to Pennsylvania election lawyer Adam Bonin on Twitter, the agreement states that “the parties agree that [Ellis] made these statements, which violated Colo. RPC 8.4(c), with at least a reckless state of mind … the parties agree that two aggravators apply—[Ellis] had a selfish motive and she engaged in a pattern of misconduct.”
“It appears that Ms. Ellis is continuing in her pattern of knowing misrepresentations and falsehoods,” Michael Teter, the managing director of the 65 Project, told the New York Times Thursday. “If she continues down this path, it will not be long before she is subject to further disciplinary action.”
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Ellis, however, has not been disbarred or lost her law license.
Ellis also drew fire on social media on Thursday when she mocked the news that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had been hospitalized after falling at a hotel, by posting a video of a turtle falling down a flight of stairs.
Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
