‘She was not my attorney,’ Donald Trump denies any connection to Sidney Powell as she pleads guilty in Georgia
Former US President Donald Trump has denied any connection to Sidney Powell, a lawyer who made baseless allegations of election fraud in 2020 and recently pleaded guilty to six charges in Georgia.
Trump posted a statement on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, saying that Powell “was not my attorney, and never was,” despite the media reports that suggested otherwise.
He added that he did not authorize her to represent him or his campaign in any legal matter.
“Ms. Powell was one of millions and millions of people who thought, and in ever increasing numbers still think, correctly, that the 2020 Presidential Election was RIGGED & STOLLEN, AND OUR COUNTRY IS BEING ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED BECAUSE OF IT!!!” Trump wrote.
Powell, 68, admitted last week that she conspired with others to interfere with the election in Fulton County, Georgia, where District Attorney Fani Willis had filed a 19-count indictment against her and other Trump allies in August.
Powell agreed to pay a fine, write an apology letter, and cooperate with the prosecutors in future cases.
Another lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, also took a plea deal on Friday and promised to testify against his co-defendants. Trump, who faces 13 counts in the Fulton County case, has pleaded not guilty.
Powell gained notoriety for making wild claims about the election, such as saying that she would “release the Kraken” to expose the fraud. She also filed several lawsuits challenging the results in various states, but none of them succeeded.
Shortly after the election, the former President tweeted that Powell was part of his legal team along with Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis. However, his campaign later issued a statement clarifying that she was not working for them.
Powell also participated in several meetings and strategy sessions at the White House with Trump and his advisers, including one on Dec. 18, 2020.
Trump claimed that Powell could not have been his attorney because she had previously represented Michael Flynn, a former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia.
The 45th US President pardoned Flynn in November 2020.
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“Ms. Powell did a valiant job of representing a very unfairly treated and governmentally abused General Mike Flynn, but to no avail. His prosecution, despite the facts, was ruthless,” he cited.
“He was an innocent man, much like many other innocent people who are being persecuted by this now Fascist government of ours, and I was honored to give him a Full Pardon!”
Trump is facing a total of 91 criminal charges across four jurisdictions: Georgia, Manhattan, South Florida and Washington. He has denied any wrongdoing in all cases.