On Tuesday, October 24, Donald Trump’s former attorney Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty to the following charge: aiding and abetting false statements and writings. In exchange for plea, Ellis will not be tried in court for two additional charges tied to Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn the most recent election, including racketeering. Instead, Ellis will serve five years of probation, pay back $5,000 in restitution to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, perform 100 hours of community service and write a letter of apology to the people of Georgia.
The charges levied against Ellis stem from testimony provided by Trump’s attorneys, Rudy Giuliani and Ray Smith, at a Georgia Senate subcommittee hearing on December 3, 2023. Ellis was accused of aiding Giuliani and Smith as they falsely claimed that tens of thousands of ineligible voters participated in the most recent presidential election. Prosecutor Daysha Young described the statements made during the hearing as a “reckless disregard for the truth.”
“What I did not do, but should have done, your honor, was to make sure that the facts the other lawyers alleged to be true were, in fact, true,” Ellis told the court, according to NPR.
“In the frenetic pace of attempting to raise challenges to the election in several states including Georgia, I failed to do my due diligence. I believe in and I value election integrity. If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges.”
Ellis is the fourth defendant connected to Trump’s election interference case to plead guilty. In September, bail bondsman Scott Hall pleaded guilty. Earlier this month, Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell pleaded guilty. As of now, Trump has not indicated that he will take a plea deal.
