Donald Trump's former lawyer Sidney Powell pleaded guilty on Thursday to her role in the election subversion case in Fulton County, Georgia, one day before her trial was set to begin.
The former president, Powell, and 17 co-conspirators were indicted in August and charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO Act, among other crimes, for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state. Trump has maintained his innocence, calling the case a "travesty of justice."
Powell is pleading guilty to six counts of Conspiracy to Commit Intentional Interference with an Election. Prosecutors in Fulton County are recommending Powell be sentenced to six years' probation, as well as pay a $6,000 fine and $2,700 restitution to the state of Georgia, write an apology letter to Georgia residents, and testify truthfully at trial.
Newsweek reached out to Sidney Powell via an online form and the Fulton County District Attorney's office via phone for comment on Thursday.
While it's unclear what Powell's testimony will entail until she is put on the stand, prosecutors likely saw a value in Powell's unique access to her co-conspirators, former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance said in an article for MSNBC on Wednesday.
"This is exactly what the Fulton County, DA hoped would happen: Scott Hall's plea would lead them to Powell, whose own plea deal could lead them to...bigger fish without trial dates," MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin said on X, formerly Twitter.
Norm Eisen, a legal analyst for CNN, said on X that Powell's plea deal is a "major breakthrough for the prosecution because Powell will act as a tour guide to the conspiracy."
The news sparked conversation on social media about how Powell flipped on Trump.
"Trump lawyer Sidney Powell has cut a plea deal and is expected to plead guilty in Georgia one day before her trial begins," Republicans against Trump wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "She has agreed to testify in future proceedings as part of the plea deal."
An X user under the name Art Candee replied to the post: "She flipped! Woohooo!"
Another X user, Chris Carlson, wrote: "So the Kraken cracked...," referring to Powell's use of the word Kraken to describe the case she was building to show that the 2020 election was stolen.
Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman whose brother-in-law was Trump's deputy campaign manager in 2016, was the first to flip on the former president. He accepted a plea deal and cooperation agreement with prosecutors in September in exchange for the dismissal of some of the charges against him and a recommendation of a reduced sentence.
He pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to five years of probation. As part of the deal with prosecutors, Hall agreed to testify in further proceedings.
Powell, along with Hall and others, is accused of plotting to access election equipment without authorization and hiring a computer forensics firm called SullivanStrickler to copy software and data from voting machines and computers in Coffee County, which is in south Georgia.
According to the indictment, an unnamed person sent an email to a top executive at SullivanStrickler, instructing him to send all data copied from Dominion Voting Systems equipment in Coffee County to an unidentified lawyer associated with Powell and Trump's campaign.
There still may be a glimmer of hope for Trump after the special grand jury's report was released in September that showed at least one member voted against each of the charges for Trump recommended by the grand jury. The lack of a unanimous agreement could potentially result in a hung jury when the case goes to trial.
Update 10/19/23, 12:41 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 10/20/23, 12:39 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Correction: 10/29/23 4:43 p.m. ET: This article was updated to reflect the correct number of co-conspirators.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
