Sidney Powell: Trump ex-lawyer pleads guilty in Georgia election case
Former Donald Trump lawyer Sidney Powell has pleaded guilty to six charges in the Georgia election interference case.
Powell, who stood charged alongside the former president, has struck an agreement with prosecutors, signifying her willingness to testify in forthcoming trials.
In this expansive case, involving 19 defendants, most of whom maintain their innocence, Powell had been accused of conspiring to intentionally interfere with election duties.
Her decision to cooperate with authorities, in exchange for six years of probation, marks a significant victory for the prosecution. Powell had played a central role in the efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results in the state.
The terms of her agreement stipulated that she must provide a proffer, essentially a verbal account of her actions, pay a fine, and compose an apology letter to the citizens of Georgia.
Powell entered her guilty plea in an Atlanta courtroom the day before her trial was scheduled to commence.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained her decision to take the deal, emphasizing that defendants who have never faced incarceration typically opt for such an arrangement.
He suggested that Powell's cooperation might serve as a precedent, potentially influencing other co-defendants to consider similar choices.
Prosecutors have accused Powell of being part of a group of Trump officials and supporters who infiltrated the election system in Coffee County, Georgia, in January 2021. Their aim was to convince officials and voters that the election had been unfairly skewed against Mr. Trump.
Specifically, Powell was charged with hiring a forensics team to unlawfully access government computers in Coffee County to inspect voter data.
The prosecution alleges that she conspired to tamper with voting machines, electronic ballots, voter data, remove ballots from a polling place, and impede an election worker in performing her duties.
Notably, Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty in the Georgia case, facing a total of 13 felony counts, including racketeering, pertaining to his alleged efforts to pressure state officials into overturning the presidential election results.
He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has characterized the case as politically motivated.
Powell had been one of the most visible and vocal proponents of Mr. Trump's unfounded claims about the 2020 election. In November 2020, she participated in a press conference with other Trump lawyers, making unsubstantiated allegations that Dominion Voting Systems could manipulate U.S. voting machines to shift votes from President Trump to President Biden.
In the following month, during a White House meeting, Mr. Trump explored the possibility of appointing Powell as a special counsel to investigate allegations of voter fraud in Georgia and other areas, according to prosecutors.
The congressional committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot prominently featured her in televised hearings last year, demonstrating her close collaboration with Mr. Trump and his aides on strategies to overturn the election.
Dominion has filed a defamation lawsuit against Powell, seeking $1.3 billion in restitution.
Powell is the second among the defendants to plead guilty in the Georgia election interference case. Bail bondsman Scott Hall had previously struck a plea deal with prosecutors in late September. He, too, had been accused of attempting to access sensitive election equipment in Coffee County, Georgia.
As part of his agreement, he received a five-year probation sentence and committed to testifying against other defendants in future trials.
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