Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer who played a role in the Trump campaign’s controversial scheme involving fake electors in the 2020 election, has pleaded guilty in the Georgia election subversion case. In his guilty plea, Chesebro also implicated former President Donald Trump and others in the conspiracy.
This plea deal is seen as a significant setback for Trump and a major win for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who had charged Trump and 18 others for their alleged involvement in attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Interestingly, this development follows the recent guilty plea from former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell, who has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Chesebro’s guilty plea is related to one felony charge – conspiracy to commit filing false documents. The recommended sentence from Fulton County prosecutors is five years of probation and a $5,000 restitution payment. This sentence was imposed by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee during the hearing. Chesebro has also agreed to provide testimony in upcoming court proceedings.
In his admission of guilt, Kenneth Chesebro revealed that he conspired with Trump, as well as former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, to present fake GOP electors in Georgia.
Giuliani and Eastman, however, have pleaded not guilty to the charges in Georgia, and they now face the possibility of Kenneth Chesebro testifying against them.
The timing of Chesebro’s plea is interesting since it came shortly after the start of jury selection for his trial. It’s suggested that the likelihood of him accepting the plea deal increased after Sidney Powell’s surprise guilty plea the day before.
Chesebro’s Plot to Change Election Outcome
Chesebro’s role in the 2020 election controversy involved crafting a strategy to present unauthorized GOP electors in several states, including Georgia. He authored memos outlining what these pro-Trump electors should do in their respective states. His plan was to use these electors to delay Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory or even to replace Biden’s electors with the fake GOP slates on January 6, 2021.
According to prosecutors, Chesebro confessed that he “created and distributed false Electoral College documents” to Trump’s associates in Georgia and other states while working in coordination with the Trump campaign.
As part of the plea deal, Chesebro has also agreed to write an apology letter to the citizens of Georgia. In this sprawling racketeering case, three defendants have now pleaded guilty: Chesebro, Powell, and Scott Hall, a Georgia-based bail bondsman. Powell and Hall have admitted their involvement in a breach of election systems in rural Coffee County, Georgia, in January 2021. Powell, in particular, has agreed to testify in future trials, potentially impacting Trump’s defense.
While Chesebro and Powell lost their attempts to have the case dismissed, they are still considered unindicted co-conspirators in Trump’s federal election subversion case, set for trial in March 2024 in Washington, DC.
Trump’s Defense Counsel’s Take on Recent Developments
Steve Sadow, the lead counsel for Trump in the Georgia case, believes these recent developments favor the former president. He noted that Chesebro’s guilty plea was a result of pressure from prosecutors, but it’s essential to remember that the RICO charge and other counts were dropped. Sadow is confident that truthful testimony will support his defense strategy.
As for the jury selection process, hundreds of potential jurors were summoned to the Fulton County courthouse to fill out questionnaires designed to identify conflicts of interest and impartiality. The questions asked potential jurors about their political opinions, attendance at Trump rallies or “MAGA events,” and online discussions related to Donald Trump’s charges. They were also asked if they watched the highly publicized January 6 committee hearings. While political questions were discussed during the hearing, it’s unclear which ones made it into the final questionnaire.
After Chesebro’s guilty plea, Judge McAfee dismissed the jury pool, which responded with applause and cheers.