Trump defendants may seek plea deal

Former President Donald Trump’s co-defendants in Georgia may be seeking plea deals after bail bondsman Scott Hall became the first to reach a deal with prosecutors.

Hall, 59, is among Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the 2020 presidential election subversion case in Fulton County. He agreed to testify in other cases and will receive five years probation after pleading guilty to five misdemeanors on Friday. He was originally charged with seven other serious crimes, including extortion and conspiracy to commit election fraud.

Legal experts suspect the agreement could trigger an avalanche of other co-defendants rushing to negotiate their own deals before Hall potentially testifies against them. Those considered particularly at risk were those accused of participating in the same scheme as Hall, a plot to illegally access voting machines in Coffee County.

“You can bet that at least half of the defendants in Fulton County are right this second as they’re on the phone with their lawyers trying to figure out Hall’s deal and what they could get if they intervene quickly,” the former said Federal prosecutor Harry Litman wrote At X, formerly Twitter. “It is a particularly threatening situation for Sidney Powell, whose allegations also affect this episode.”

Litman further suggested that Hall’s agreement could trigger a domino effect by causing other co-defendants to feel compelled to enter plea agreements.

“I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself here, but if Hall can get Powell’s conviction, the question becomes, whose conviction can Powell get?” wrote Litman. “And two names that immediately come to mind: Jenna Ellis and Rudy Giuliani. This is also just wild speculation for now.”

Joyce Vance, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, also suggested that former Trump lawyer Powell could soon feel the heat because of Hall’s endorsement.

“A plea to five misdemeanors signals that his cooperation is important,” Vance said Posted. “Sidney Powell is likely one of the prior defendants he could testify against in relation to the Coffee County indictment.”

During a court hearing Friday, prosecutors indicated they may be preparing to offer plea deals to Powell and her former Trump lawyer colleague Kenneth Chesebro, who is accused of being the architect of the “phony voter scheme.”

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner responded to the news by saying that testimony against Trump should be a “non-negotiable” condition of any settlement offered in the Georgia case.

“Plead offers that require full, accurate and truthful cooperation/testimony regarding their own crimes AND the crimes of others, I assume,” Kirschner said Posted To

Newsweek Trump’s office emailed Friday for comment.

Legal analyst Lisa Rubin suggested during an MSNBC appearance that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could soon strike a deal with former Trump lawyer Ellis, arguing that she could become a “pivotal” witness for the prosecution .

“She feels abandoned by the Trump world and is struggling with her legal fees. To get her up to speed, she turned to GoFundMe,” Rubin said. “So I think Jenna Ellis could be a linchpin here.”

“Her work with Rudy Giuliani, among others, and her access to Trump, even her proximity to Sidney Powell, could make her a very attractive target if I were prosecutors,” she added.

Trump faces 13 felony charges in Georgia, and another 78 felony charges in three other federal and state criminal cases. He pleaded not guilty to all counts and claimed he was the victim of “election interference” and political “persecution.”