Jenna Ellis (left) in a Fulton County Jail mug shot, (right) apologizing in court on Oct. 24, 2023 after pleading guilty (Fulton County Superior Court/YouTube)
Jenna Ellis, the lawyer for Donald Trump who dubbed his post-election legal team an “elite strike force” and smiled in her Fulton County jail mug shot, raised her right hand in court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to a felony, days after two other lawyers similarly conceded defeat in the RICO case.
Ellis was indicted in August alongside Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Ray Stallings Smith III (another Trump lawyer) “unlawfully solicit[ing], request[ing], and importun[ing] certain public officers of the Georgia Senate and present at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting” on Dec. 3, 2020 to “engage in conduct constituting the felony offense of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, O.C.G.A.§ 16-10-1, by unlawfully appointing presidential electors from the State of Georgia, in willful and intentional violation of the terms of the oath of said persons as prescribed by law, with intent that said persons engage in said conduct, said date being a material element of the offense, contrary to the laws of said State, the good order, peace and dignity thereof.”
Ellis, 38 years old and set to turn 39 on Nov. 1, admitted in open court before Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Tuesday to aiding and abetting false statements in writings after confirming that she understood the proceedings and was satisfied with her attorney’s counsel over the course of the case.
The negotiated plea details included five years of probation, $5,000 in restitution to be paid to the Georgia Secretary of State within 30 days, 100 hours of community service, an apology letter to citizens of Georgia (which Ellis has already written), truthful testimony at hearings or trials of co-defendants, and no communications with co-defendants or the media until all cases have been closed.
Lawyer Jenna Ellis (R) listens to Melissa Carone, who was working for Dominion Voting Services, as she speaks in front of the Michigan House Oversight Committee in Lansing, Michigan on December 2, 2020. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images.)
As part of the plea agreement, Ellis must also continue to provide additional recorded statements and affidavits as required by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, and provide any requested documents or evidence subject to any lawful privileges asserted in good faith. Furthermore, Ellis cannot post on social media about this case, including through any agents, until the conclusion of all trials and appeals.
Ellis, when asked if she understood all of the above, said: “I do.”
When Ellis was about to read prepared remarks in court, she appeared to get choked up — a stark contrast from the smiling mug shot she posed for after her arrest.
“As an attorney who is also a Christian, I take my responsibilities as a lawyer very seriously and I endeavor to be a person of sound moral and ethical character in all of my dealings,” Ellis began, her voice shaking.
Ellis said she “failed to do her due diligence” in trying to challenge Trump’s election loss, blaming her failure to vet false claims of other lawyers on the “frenetic pace” of that place and time.
“If I knew what I knew now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in the post-election challenges,” she said. “I look back on this whole experience with deep remorse.”
Watch the plea hearing here:
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