Sidney Powell, the infamous pro-Trump attorney who helped spearhead the propagation of baseless conspiracy theories after the 2020 presidential election, has pleaded guilty in the criminal case brought against her and 18 others by Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who’d alleged an attempt at election interference.
As part of Powell’s agreement with prosecutors, she is evidently set to testify at forthcoming proceedings, though the precise contours of where she might provide insight for the prosecution weren’t immediately established — meaning it could be expected (but wasn’t formalized) she’d specifically testify against even Donald Trump himself. That’s the general direction here. “She also is agreeing as part of this deal to testify at future trials,” CNN journalist Katelyn Polantz explained, adding: “She is very likely to become a witness against Donald Trump and the others as they go to trial in Georgia.”
Powell’s trial had been set to begin, with the jury selection process, this week. She was set to face trial alongside fellow pro-Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, another defendant from Willis’ case, and just in recent days, Powell had lost in attempts before a local judge in Georgia to get criminal allegations against her dismissed. Dealing with challenges from Powell and Chesebro together, the judge both upheld the approach to racketeering charges that Willis’ team had used and indicated certain arguments were better left to a trial setting. Going forward, Powell will not be facing time in jail as part of her agreement with prosecutors, instead reportedly facing six years of probation and other penalties, assuming her plea deal holds.
There has also been the open question of whether additional individuals will get charged (after Trump himself) at the federal level in relation to the attempted election interference, and precedent indicates that Powell could be towards the top of that list. Meanwhile, other co-defendants in Georgia against whom she might now testify include Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, among others.
JUST IN: Former Donald Trump attorney Sidney Powell has pleaded guilty in the Georgia election subversion case, one day before her trial was set to start. https://t.co/sE9Xnh8bKz pic.twitter.com/APLsfSeiqY
— CNN (@CNN) October 19, 2023
