Arizona AG drops election subversion charges against former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis in exchange for testimony
Ellis is expected to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against other defendants in the criminal case as part of her deal. She was originally charged with multiple felony counts in Arizona related to her alleged role in the effort to put forward fake slates of electors as part of a broader conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results on Trump’s behalf.
Last year, Ellis pleaded guilty in the Georgia election case and was sentenced to five years of probation and $5,000 in restitution. Ellis was charged alongside several Trump allies, including his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani in both Arizona and Georgia. Meadows and Giuliani have pleaded not guilty in both cases.
“If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges. I look back on this experience with deep remorse,” Ellis said in a statement after her guilty plea in Georgia.
The charges in Arizona focus on Trump’s close allies who prosecutors say conspired to overturn the election results and 11 fake Republican electors who acted as pro-Trump electors despite his loss in the state.
Prosecutors alleged that Ellis worked closely with other defendants to spread false claims about widespread voter fraud in Arizona and six other states.
She also encouraged the Arizona state legislature to overturn the election results and tried to convince then-Vice President Mike Pence to accept the false elector certificates on January 6, 2021, the charging document says.
Trump was not charged in the Arizona case but was named as “Unindicted Coconspirator 1” in the original indictment. Trump was charged in the election conspiracy case in Georgia and pleaded not guilty.
Ellis' cooperation in the criminal case could have significant implications for the ongoing politics surrounding the 2020 election results. Her alleged actions, including encouraging the Arizona state legislature to overturn the election results and attempting to convince Vice President Pence to accept fake elector certificates, are central to the politics of election integrity.
