Disavowing Trump, a tearful Jenna Ellis pleads guilty in Fulton election probe

Disavowing former president Donald Trump, Attorney Jenna Ellis, one of the defendants in the Fulton County election interference case, has pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings, a felony. She is the fourth defendant in the case to strike a deal with prosecutors. This charge is related to her testimony before a Georgia Senate subcommittee in late 2020, where she, along with co-defendants Rudy Giuliani and Ray Smith, made false statements about election fraud in Georgia.

With tears streaming down her face, Ellis addressed Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the case. Ellis said, “if I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges.” “I look back on this whole experience with deep remorse,” she said.

Under the terms of her plea agreement, Ellis, 38, must serve five years of probation, perform 100 hours of community service, and pay $5,000 in restitution to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office. She has also agreed to testify truthfully when called upon, provide documents and other evidence, refrain from posting about the case on social media, and write an apology letter to Georgia voters.

Ellis’s plea agreement comes shortly after two other defendants in the case, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, struck similar deals with prosecutors just before the start of their speedy trial which was slated to begin last week. Fifteen defendants, including former President Donald Trump, ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and Rudy Giuliani, remain in the case.

The plea agreement references numerous false statements made by Ellis, Giuliani, and Smith during a legislative hearing in December 2020. During that hearing, the defendants pushed for lawmakers to appoint pro-Trump presidential electors despite Joe Biden’s victory in the state.

The false claims made during the hearing, such as allegations of fraudulent absentee ballots and underage voters, were acknowledged as untrue in Ellis’s plea agreement. Among other things, the trio claimed at least 96,000 fraudulent absentee ballots were cast in the election, 2,506 felons voted, 66,248 underage voters cast ballots and 10,315 dead people voted.

None of those claims were true — and Ellis acknowledged as much as part of her plea agreement. Ellis expressed regret for her role in the post-election challenges and stated that, in her pursuit to represent Donald Trump to the best of her ability, she had relied on more senior attorneys to provide her with accurate information.

She acknowledged that she failed to do her due diligence and make proper assessments.

Ellis’s plea agreement stipulates that her guilty plea is not considered a crime of “moral turpitude,” which could make it easier for her to retain her law license. However, she had already been censured by legal authorities in her home state of Colorado for making “misrepresentations” following the 2020 elections.

Ellis has faced criticism from Trump supporters for her critical stance on the former president and her support for his primary rival, Ron DeSantis.

She has also encountered challenges in funding her legal defense, resorting to crowdfunding on platforms like GiveSendGo to cover her legal expenses.