OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
After Sidney Powell decided to plead guilty to charges related to the 2020 election filed against her by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Thursday, a new analysis of the situation finds that decision may prove to be of huge benefit to former President Donald Trump.
Powell, a former federal prosecutor who joined Trump’s personal legal team following the election and claimed, on many occasions, to have found evidence of massive ballot fraud — which she never produced — pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts related to election interference, reports noted.
As part of the plea deal, all of the felony counts were dropped, she will be required to serve six years of probation, pay a $6,000 fine, and another $2,700 in restitution to the state of Georgia. Also, she must pen a letter of apology to Georgia residents.
In addition, Powell is required to provide testimony in upcoming cases involving charges filed by Willis, including Trump’s case — and it is here that one legal expert believes that could be advantageous to the former president.
Georgia lawyer Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney, told The Messenger in an email that he sees Powell’s plea bargain as a legal gift to his client.
“Assuming truthful testimony in the Fulton County case, it will be favorable to my overall defense strategy,” he said.
The Messenger noted further:
Legal observers Thursday were quick to comment on which other defendants were most exposed by Powell’s plea deal, which was conditioned on her truthful testimony in the outstanding cases and included her proffering a taped statement to prosecutors Wednesday night.
Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis reacting on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – said Chesebro ought to also take a plea deal similar to Powell “and hope for the best in the event the Special Counsel’s Office comes to you next.”
Kreis also said “the biggest, most immediate loser today is Jeff Clark,” referring to the former senior Justice Department official charged in the Georgia case alongside Trump and the others.
“Two of the big links to between him and overtly criminal activities in Georgia, Sidney Powell and Scott Hall, have now entered guilty pleas,” Kreis wrote.
All and all, I think the biggest, most immediate loser today is Jeff Clark. Two of the big links to between him and overtly criminal activities in Georgia, Sidney Powell and Scott Hall, have now entered guilty pleas.
— Anthony Michael Kreis (@AnthonyMKreis) October 19, 2023
Molly McCann Sanders, formerly a co-counsel for Powell, noted
Molly McCann Sanders, a former Sidney Powell co-counsel, noted in a post on X said Powell “is absolutely innocent,” adding “the fact that Fani Willis dropped all 7 felonies tells the tale. She had no case, but she did have the coercive power of the state.”
“She hasn’t ‘flipped,'” Sanders noted further. “She has made the right decision for herself and her family.”
Hall, the first co-defendant in Willis’ cases entered a plea of guilty in a deal made with the top prosecutor late last month.
“Bail bondsman Scott Hall on Friday became the first defendant in the Fulton County election interference case to take a plea agreement with prosecutors, signaling the probe has entered a dynamic new phase,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported at the time.
“During an impromptu hearing before Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, Hall, with his attorney by his side, pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the performance of election duties,” the outlet further noted.
“Hall agreed to testify truthfully when called, five years probation, a $5,000 fine, 200 hours of community service and a ban on polling and election administration-related activities. He also recorded a statement for prosecutors and pledged to pen a letter of apology to Georgia voters,” the AJC added.
Trump and 18 others have been charged with conspiring to overturn Georgia election results. His legal team was expected to try to move his case out of state court and into federal court, where attorneys are likely to seek dismissal of the charges under the guise that Trump is immune because he was acting in an official capacity.
But that strategy appears to have changed, according to a recent report.
