Bad News For Donald Trump: Another Co-Defendant Just Flipped – Donald Trump’s former lawyer and Fulton County co-defendant Sidney Powell flipped on the ex-president on Thursday by pleading guilty in Georgia’s election interference case.
Powell, who was one of 19 defendants in the case, pleaded guilty after reaching a deal with prosecutors one day before her trial was due to begin. She will now testify in the trials, which also includes former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
She is the second defendant to plead guilty in Fulton County, although most have pleaded their innocence. The charges relate to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
The Charges And Background
Powell was one of the strongest proponents in Trump’s unevidenced claims about election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 vote. She appeared alongside other Trump attorneys at a press conference in November 2020, alleging false claims that machines run by Dominion Voting Systems can be manipulated to “take a certain percentage of votes from President Trump and flip them to President Biden,” for which she is facing a $1.3billion defamation lawsuit.
Trump considered appointing Powell as a special counsel to “investigate allegations of voter fraud in Georgia and elsewhere,” according to prosecutors. Moreover, as part of Congress’ January 6 investigation, Powell was revealed to work closely with Trump on strategies to overturn the results of the election.
The former president’s former lawyer faced charges of conspiracy to commit intentional interference of election duties while Trump sought to “find” votes. Along with a cohort of aides and Trump officials, prosecutors accused Powell of trying to persuade officials and voters that the election had been rigged against the Republican, despite no evidence to prove so.
Specifically, Powell was accused of hiring a forensic team, sending them to the elections system in Coffee County to illegally access government computers to analyze voter data. Furthermore, prosecutors said she had conspired to tamper with voting machines, electronic ballots, and voter data, all while having ballots taken from a polling station and attempting to stop an election worker from completing her job.
Is Donald Trump in Trouble? Powell Pleads Guilty
On Thursday, one day before her trial was due to begin, Powell pleaded guilty. As part of a deal with prosecutors, she will be required to testify in subsequent trials in exchange for six years’ probation. She will have to provide a verbal account of her activities, pay a fine, and write a letter of apology to the citizens of Georgia.
Powell is not the first co-defendant to flip in the Fulton County case. Last month, former Republican poll watcher Scott Hall struck a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid jail time. He was sentenced to five years’ probation and will also be required to testify as the trials progress.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
