Former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis has pleaded guilty in the Georgia election subversion case to one count of aiding and abetting false statements and will cooperate with Fulton County prosecutors.
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Former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis has pleaded guilty in the Georgia election subversion case to one count of aiding and abetting false statements and will cooperate with Fulton County prosecutors.
In unrelated disciplinary proceedings in Colorado, where Ellis is a practicing attorney, Ellis admitted that many of her post-election public statements were false, including her claim that the race was “stolen” from Trump. She was censured by a judge and agreed to pay $224
Holy shit, she got off easy on that. They were looking to disbar her. I would hope that this is a teaching moment for her, but fuck with these MAGA idiots I don't really hold much hope. Like she may never know how close to absolutely destabilizing her entire life she came.
RICO isn't usually aimed at the pawns. It's the leaders. The more that plead guilty to the conspiracy and can point fingers up, the better. Pleading guilty is exactly what prosecution wants for the pawns.
That's what cracks me up about this quote from Trump's lawyer. He's acting like the pawns flipping means the RICO case is weak, when in reality it's doing exactly what it was meant to do.
In exchange for Ellis’ cooperation, prosecutors dropped her original two charges, including a violation of Georgia’s racketeering law known as RICO. Trump lawyer Steve Sadow said in a statement that he believes this helps his client and noted that the criminal conduct admitted to by Ellis “doesn’t even mention President Trump.”
“For the fourth time, Fani Willis and her prosecution team have dismissed the RICO charge in return for a plea to probation,” Sadow said. “What that shows is this so-called RICO case is nothing more than a bargaining chip for DA Willis.”
They want to make it as enticing as possible for people to flip on the higher-ups. "Look, it's not a big deal. You're just going to have to pay a few bucks, and write an apology, and then you get to go free. All you have to do in exchange is help us take down the big guy."
It might sound cynical, but I'm thrilled they're making it so easy for Trump's cronies to flip. I'd much rather have Trump warming a jail bench and all of his co-conspirators freed than Trump on the campaign trail and every single one of the lackeys behind bars. They're disgraced enough already--on both sides of the aisle--that there's no way they'll ever be taken seriously in politics again anyway.
Censure falls within the realms of the varying levels of sanction. Some individuals refer to censure as a “slap on the wrist” for lawyers. However, it actually falls somewhere in the middle when it comes to the severity of sanctions.
A censure is more serious than a reprimand. However, it is not as serious as a suspension. When a lawyer is censured, they are reprimanded, either publicly or privately, for their actions. However, they are not prohibited from practicing law as they would otherwise be following a suspension.
Like many other forms of disciplinary action, a censure remains on your public record for the remainder of your professional career. In many situations, this can prevent the lawyer from moving forward in their field and they may no longer want to practice law.