Sidney Powell, a pro-Trump attorney who was charged alongside the former president himself in a Georgia case alleging election interference, took a plea deal this week — and in tandem with her decision, The Daily Beast explains she’s also agreeing to provide local prosecutor Fani Willis, who brought the case, with potentially seriously revealing material documentation.
“Powell has agreed to give investigators any information they want about her private meetings with the former president, including documents in her possession that would detail his plan to stay in power after losing to his rival, President Joe Biden,” according to The Daily Beast.
Powell is not facing any time in jail if her agreement, as it stands, holds. Instead, her penalties include a lengthy period (six years) of probation alongside other consequences. And it’s already been widely spotlighted how she also agreed to provide testimony for forthcoming proceedings, which could in theory see her testifying against Trump himself — as he continues to peddle the false claims of fraud that spurred this all along. Powell taking the deal was reportedly surprising within Trump’s circles.
Powell had been set to face trial (beginning with jury selection) this very week, and her plea arrangement with prosecutors was unveiled shortly after she lost in last-ditch attempts to boot her charges before trial, which she’d have faced only alongside co-defendant and fellow lawyer Kenneth Chesebro. Chesebro’s role in the attempted election interference driving Willis’ case was assistance with developing and furthering plans for sham electors supporting Trump in states that Joe Biden won.
Chesebro also recently lost, having argued unsuccessfully for blocking the usage of certain materials in the case against him on the basis of attorney-client privilege. The judge found that prosecutors had made enough of a showing of potentially criminal misconduct to allow for the crime-fraud exception to any such privilege. (UPDATE: Chesebro struck a deal, making a last-minute guilty plea.)
