Former President Donald Trump‘s Georgia election subversion case co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty to charges Friday, marking the third defendant to do an about-face in the case.
Chesebro’s deal with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis‘s office comes one day after attorney Sidney Powell pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts in a separate plea deal. Prosecutors were reportedly making offers to Chesebro on Thursday, which he declined to take at the time.
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The plea deal is another victory for Willis, who charged Trump and 18 others in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state.
Chesebro pleaded guilty to one felony, charge 15 in the indictment, which is conspiracy to commit filing false documents. Fulton County prosecutors recommend he serve five years of probation and pay $5,000 restitution. He also agreed to 100 hours of community service, to testify truthfully at any future trials in the sprawling election subversion case, as well as write an apology letter.
Because the hearings are livestreamed, Chesebro was shown giving his “guilty” plea and at times could be seen smirking as the judge recited the terms of his deal.
The plea comes shortly after jury selection began Friday. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had met with the pool of potential jurors Friday and told them the trial could last up to five months.
Although Chesebro reportedly denied taking a plea deal on Thursday, prosecutors gained effective leverage with their ability to get Powell to take a deal, leaving Chesebro as the sole defendant to begin trial amid the prospects of facing 150 witnesses, including Powell’s potential testimony.
A third defendant, former bail bondsman Scott Hall, pleaded guilty last month to five misdemeanor counts.
Trump and 15 other defendants have yet to have their trial scheduled, as they did not assert their speedy trial rights.
The guilty plea by Chesebro is damaging to Trump’s case in more ways than one, but the immediate impact is that his legal team will no longer be provided an early window to observe the arguments prosecutors plan to present in their bid to convict the 45th president.
Trump’s lead attorney in the racketeering case, Steve Sadow, told the Washington Examiner the plea deals for Powell and Chesebro were tied to “pressure” Willis’s team was placing on defendants amid a “looming threat of prison time.”
“However, it is very important for everyone to note that the RICO charge and every other count was dismissed,” Sadow said, adding that he anticipates “truthful testimony” from the pair “would be favorable to my defense strategy.”
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While prosecutors have dropped the criminal racketeering charge for the three defendants who have pleaded guilty, experts have expressed skepticism that it would benefit Trump.
Chesebro’s attorney Scott Grubman did not respond to the Washington Examiner.
