Suspended lawyer Jenna Ellis is cooperating with Arizona prosecutors in the state’s fake-elector case against former President Donald Trump in return for having nine felony charges dropped.
Trump’s former campaign attorney in May lost her Colorado law license for three years after pleading guilty to charges of fraudulently trying to influence the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
She was facing similar charges in Arizona as part of a group of 18 alleged co-conspirators — including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows — indicted in April for presenting fake GOP electors claiming Trump had won the state. The fake electors, who submitted a document to Congress declaring Trump the winner in Arizona, were also indicted.
The nine felonies Ellis had been charged with — and to which she’s already pleaded not guilty — included fraud, forgery and conspiracy. The cases against the other 17 defendants, who’ve also pleaded not guilty. is ongoing, the Arizona attorney general’s office said. Trump was not indicted in that case.
Ellis has agreed to “testify completely and truthfully at any time and any place requested by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office,” according to the agreement posted online by the attorney general’s office — including everything from grand jury proceedings to trials and related hearings.
Former Phoenix judge and Arizona U.S. Attorney Mel McDonald, who is retired and not involved in the case, said such cooperation agreements are common in Arizona’s state court system as a way to get insiders to shed light on how a crime evolved. “You need someone who is part of it to fill in the blanks,” McDonald told The Associated Press.
Ellis’s participation will do just that, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said Monday.
“This agreement represents a significant step forward in our case,” Mayes said in a statement announcing the deal. “I am grateful to Ms. Ellis for her cooperation with our investigation and prosecution. Her insights are invaluable and will greatly aid the State in proving its case in court. 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.”
Ellis had previously flipped on Trump in Georgia, joining two other Trump lawyers, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, in testifying against her former presidential boss.
With News Wire Services