Dem
51
GOP
49
Former Donald Trump lawyer Sidney Powell just can't leave well enough alone. After taking a plea deal from DA Fani Willis, she is apparently trying to... save her reputation in conservative circles? Remain in Donald Trump's good graces? Something else?
Since Powell entered her plea, she's spent a lot of time doing two things. The first is continuing to insist that the 2020 election was fraudulent and was stolen by Democrats. She's sent out dozens of tweets on the subject, and also promoted the latest masterpiece from Dinesh D'Souza, which just so happens to be on that theme. After all, a grifter's gotta eat. Anyhow, "Go see this movie!! It is so important and terrifying because it is true," was Powell's review.
Meanwhile, Powell has been using her newsletter (yes, she apparently has a newsletter) to explain to her... fans (?) that she didn't really plead guilty, so much as she was "extorted" by Willis. Powell claims she could not possibly get a fair trial from "a jury culled from deep-blue Fulton County" and so she was left with no other choice but to plead out.
Perhaps Powell has forgotten that when she entered her plea, she affirmed that it was "voluntary" and that the charges against her have "a sufficient factual basis." If so, well, we bet Willis and Judge Scott McAfee have NOT forgotten. So, we could be looking at a perjury charge here; we don't know. Given Powell's lack of enthusiasm for her ostensible testimony, maybe she's not such a great witness, and maybe she won't be called. Even if that's how it works out, we suspect Willis got what she wanted, in that she has a recorded statement from Powell and, perhaps more importantly, Powell's defection led to Kenneth Chesebro's plea. And Chesebro is a more valuable witness than Powell, since he's considerably more knowledgeable about the Georgia scheme while also being considerably less crazy.
Meanwhile, a pretty clear distinction has emerged between Trump co-conspirators. The little fish can reportedly still have deals, if they want them. However, the four biggest fish, namely Trump himself, America's former mayor Rudy Giuliani, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Trump lawyer John Eastman, have received no phone calls and no offers. It could not be clearer who is in Willis' sights. And given Powell's behavior, maybe even the little fish will find that plea deals have become much harder to get. (Z)