Georgia plea deals spell danger for Trump, co-defendants
by Zach Schonfeld - 10/22/23 12:00 PM ET
Former President Trump’s co-defendants in Georgia have begun splintering, with two lawyers key to Trump’s efforts to overturn the election agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) late this week secured plea deals from Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, the highest-profile defendants to flip so far in the sprawling racketeering case. Both agreed to testify truthfully against their co-defendants, including Trump.
Legal experts said they weren’t surprised by the deals, arguing they would increase the legal jeopardy facing other defendants and raise the pressure for them to also consider taking plea deals.
“The real import of this plea is the signal it sends to the other defendants,” said Chris Mattei, a former federal prosecutor.
“Number one, that your time is running out for you to cooperate, because as cooperators come in and plead guilty, the prosecution continues to build its case and may not have a need to cooperate with other individuals,” he continued.
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https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4267538-powell-chesebro-georgia-plea-deals-danger-trump/
