Jenna Ellis became the fourth defendant indicted in the Georgia racketeering case against former President Donald Trump to accept a plea deal on Tuesday. Her plea was abruptly announced in a live-streamed court appearance, during which Ellis expressed contrition for her actions to contest the 2020 election results.
Ellis pleaded guilty to an updated indictment from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, admitting to one count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings. She is specifically charged with making false statements to the Georgia Senate at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting. Willis claimed she “aided and abetted” former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
The former member of Trump’s legal team appeared to shed tears on the live-streamed plea hearing and blamed her reliance “on others, including lawyers with many more years of experience” and failure “make sure that the facts the other lawyers alleged to be true were, in fact, true,” for her actions.
“If I knew then what I knew now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges,” Ellis added before expressing “great remorse” over her time working for the former president.
A clip of her statement was quickly uploaded to social media, where Ellis was accused of blaming Giuliani for her actions.
Jenna Ellis reads a tearful statement in court after her guilty plea where she throws Rudy Giuliani under the bus and says she wishes she had never gotten involved. pic.twitter.com/GFSXAlxuzs
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) October 24, 2023
Ellis will be required to cooperate in upcoming trials, serve five years of probation, 100 hours of community service, and pay $5,000 in restitution to the state.
As part of the deal, CNN reported Willis agreed to drop her two original charges against Ellis, including the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) violation. The outlet added that Trump lawyer Steve Sadow said Ellis’ agreement will benefit his client and noted the new indictment “doesn’t even mention President Trump.” Sadow made a similar statement after Sidney Powell’s plea deal was announced, asserting it would benefit Trump so long as Powell testifies truthfully.
Ellis is the third defendant to enter a plea agreement with Willis in one week, following Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, who secured their deals with Fulton County last week. Bail bondsman Scott Hall previously accepted a plea deal in September, citing his desire to put the 2020 election behind him. A total of 19 defendants were originally indicted by Willis in August.
Though Ellis has not made a public statement following her guilty plea, she did quote Psalm 91 in a post on X, formerly Twitter, about an hour before accepting her plea deal. At press time, Ellis has raised $216,481 in a legal defense fundraiser.
God is good all the time. Even in the midst of an evil world.
Psalm 91. ❤️
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) October 24, 2023
It remains unclear when Trump’s trial in Fulton County will begin, but the recent plea deals may decrease the number of witnesses Willis plans to call. Willis previously claimed one witness, political strategist and Trump ally Boris Epshteyn, would provide key insight about Powell, Ellis, and Chesebro, who are now cooperating with her office.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News and a reporter for the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
