Sunday, October 29, 2023

The Star Witness?




Fulton County, Georgia's impressive District Attorney Fani Willis has managed racketeering (RICO) trials before, against drug cartels and other criminal organizations. So when she saw the criminal political organization headed by the Malignant Loser try to subvert Georgia 2020 election, she knew that she could use the state's racketeering law to prosecute him and his co-conspirators. The RICO concept is to flip lower level defendants until you get to the leadership of the organization. Jenna Ellis, one of the Malignant Loser's lawyers, pled guilty in exchange for lesser punishment, and that's bad news for the Malignant Loser and his deranged consigliere Rudy "Toot Toot" Giuliani:

"Ms. Ellis emerged from her plea hearing as a likely star witness for prosecutors, starting with the one who secured her cooperation, the Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis. Unlike Mr. Chesebro and Ms. Powell, in pleading guilty Ms. Ellis spoke in detail about her 'responsibilities as a lawyer.' Tearing up, she talked about the due diligence that 'I did not do but should have done' and her 'deep remorse for those failures of mine.' The judge, a tough former prosecutor, thanked her for sharing that and noted how unusual it was for a defendant to do so.

Trials are about the evidence and the law. But they are also theater, and the jury is the audience. In this case, the jury is not the only audience — the Georgia trials will be televised, so many Americans will also be tuned in. Ms. Ellis is poised to be a potent weapon against Mr. Trump in the courtroom and on TVs.

That is bad news for her former co-defendants — above all, Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Trump. Ms. Ellis was most closely associated with Mr. Giuliani, appearing by his side in Georgia and across the country. If her court appearance last week is any indication, she will be a compelling guide to his alleged misconduct. She will also add to what is known about it; she and Mr. Giuliani undoubtedly had many conversations that are not yet public and that will inform the jury. And because Mr. Giuliani was the senior lawyer on the case, her pointed statement that she was misled by attorneys 'with many more years of experience' hits him directly.

Ms. Ellis’s likely trial testimony will also hit Mr. Trump hard. She has now effectively repudiated his claims that he won the election — an argument that is expected to be a centerpiece of his trial defense. Coming from a formerly outspoken MAGA champion, her disagreement has the potential to resonate with jurors."  (our emphasis)

We'll see how many more co-conspirators flip before their trials, and provide testimony against the Malignant Loser. It's reported that Giuliani, Mark Meadows and John Eastman have not been offered plea deals from the District Attorney, implying that they and the Malignant Loser will be the prime targets of prosecution and will remain with the original charges.

(photo: Tearful Ellis agreeing to guilty plea / John Bazemore, AP)