Trump's former attorney Jenna Ellis flips and pleads GUILTY in Arizona (msn.com)
Former Donald Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis has reached a cooperation agreement with Arizona prosecutors conducting a 'fake electors' probe.
Prosecutors are dropping nine charges against her, Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement, in a case where 18 Republicans have been charged in a scheme to try snatch away the state's 11 electoral votes and award them to Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
Ellis was a prominent Trump campaign attorney, and famously accompanied former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani as he made claims of election fraud in a series of states Trump was contesting.
Ellis will cooperate with Arizona prosecutors in exchange for charges being dropped against her in a fake electors case, the state AG's office announced Monday.
She has agreed to testify 'completely and truthfully' and will provide documents and evidence as needed.
The cooperation deal allows her to avoid jail time. She pleaded guilty in the Georgia election interference case which also involved an alleged scheme involving 'fake' electors. Joe Biden carried both states.
'Her insights are invaluable and will greatly aid the State in proving its case in court,' Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement. 'As I stated when the initial charges were announced, I will not allow American democracy to be undermined - it is far too important. Today´s announcement is a win for the rule of law.'
Last year, Ellis was charged in Georgia after she appeared with Giuliani at a December 2020 hearing hosted by state Republican lawmakers at the Georgia Capitol during which false allegations of election fraud were made. She had pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings. She made a tearful statement inside the courtroom while entering her plea.
While not a fake elector in Arizona, prosecutors say Ellis made false claims of widespread election fraud in the state and six others, encouraged the Arizona Legislature to change the outcome of the election and encouraged then-Vice President Mike Pence to accept Arizona´s fake elector votes.
The indictment said Ellis, Giuliani and other associates were at a meeting at the Arizona Legislature on Dec. 1, 2020, with then-House Speaker Rusty Bowers and other Republicans when Giuliani and his team asked the speaker to hold a committee hearing on the election.
When Bowers asked for proof of election fraud, Giuliani said he had proof but Ellis had advised that it was left back at a hotel room, the indictment said. No proof was provided to Bowers.
Ellis also is barred from practicing law in Colorado for three years after her guilty plea in Georgia.
Prosecutors in Michigan, Nevada, Georgia and Wisconsin have also filed criminal charges related to the fake electors scheme.
Ellis posted a statement by her lawyers, Matt Brown and Matt Melito. 'We are grateful the Arizona Attorney General’s Office completely dismissed the indictment against Jenna Ellis as she was not involved in the so-called ‘fake elector’ scheme. Jenna was originally told she was not a target and her cooperation is her continued willingness to tell the truth,' they said.
Arizona authorities unveiled the felony charges in late April. Overall, charges were brought against 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring Trump had won Arizona, five lawyers connected to the former president and two former Trump aides. President Joe Biden won Arizona by 10,457 votes.
Trump himself was not charged in the Arizona case but was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment.
The 11 people who claimed to be Arizona´s Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were 'duly elected and qualified' electors and asserting that Trump carried the state.
A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored.
Former Donald Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis has reached a cooperation agreement with Arizona prosecutors conducting a 'fake electors' probe.
Prosecutors are dropping nine charges against her, Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement, in a case where 18 Republicans have been charged in a scheme to try snatch away the state's 11 electoral votes and award them to Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
Ellis was a prominent Trump campaign attorney, and famously accompanied former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani as he made claims of election fraud in a series of states Trump was contesting.
Ellis will cooperate with Arizona prosecutors in exchange for charges being dropped against her in a fake electors case, the state AG's office announced Monday.
She has agreed to testify 'completely and truthfully' and will provide documents and evidence as needed.
The cooperation deal allows her to avoid jail time. She pleaded guilty in the Georgia election interference case which also involved an alleged scheme involving 'fake' electors. Joe Biden carried both states.
'Her insights are invaluable and will greatly aid the State in proving its case in court,' Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement. 'As I stated when the initial charges were announced, I will not allow American democracy to be undermined - it is far too important. Today´s announcement is a win for the rule of law.'
Last year, Ellis was charged in Georgia after she appeared with Giuliani at a December 2020 hearing hosted by state Republican lawmakers at the Georgia Capitol during which false allegations of election fraud were made. She had pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings. She made a tearful statement inside the courtroom while entering her plea.
While not a fake elector in Arizona, prosecutors say Ellis made false claims of widespread election fraud in the state and six others, encouraged the Arizona Legislature to change the outcome of the election and encouraged then-Vice President Mike Pence to accept Arizona´s fake elector votes.
The indictment said Ellis, Giuliani and other associates were at a meeting at the Arizona Legislature on Dec. 1, 2020, with then-House Speaker Rusty Bowers and other Republicans when Giuliani and his team asked the speaker to hold a committee hearing on the election.
When Bowers asked for proof of election fraud, Giuliani said he had proof but Ellis had advised that it was left back at a hotel room, the indictment said. No proof was provided to Bowers.
Ellis also is barred from practicing law in Colorado for three years after her guilty plea in Georgia.
Prosecutors in Michigan, Nevada, Georgia and Wisconsin have also filed criminal charges related to the fake electors scheme.
Ellis posted a statement by her lawyers, Matt Brown and Matt Melito. 'We are grateful the Arizona Attorney General’s Office completely dismissed the indictment against Jenna Ellis as she was not involved in the so-called ‘fake elector’ scheme. Jenna was originally told she was not a target and her cooperation is her continued willingness to tell the truth,' they said.
Arizona authorities unveiled the felony charges in late April. Overall, charges were brought against 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring Trump had won Arizona, five lawyers connected to the former president and two former Trump aides. President Joe Biden won Arizona by 10,457 votes.
Trump himself was not charged in the Arizona case but was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment.
The 11 people who claimed to be Arizona´s Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were 'duly elected and qualified' electors and asserting that Trump carried the state.
A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored.
