A second Donald Trump campaign lawyer reached a plea deal on Friday that would see him testify for the prosecution in the case alleging the former US president led a criminal conspiracy to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Kenneth Chesebro, 62, was indicted in the southern state in August along with the former president and 17 others.
Chesebro was accused of orchestrating a plan to submit a slate of fake electors to Congress in a bid to block certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump.
Jury selection for his trial began on Friday at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, but was abruptly halted after Chesebro entered into a surprise last-minute plea deal with prosecutors.
Chesebro faced seven charges including racketeering — a felony that carries jail time — and also conspiracy to commit forgery and conspiracy to file false documents.
He pleaded guilty to the single charge of conspiracy to file false documents in exchange for a sentence of probation and the dropping of the other charges.
Cheseboro’s guilty plea came one day another former Trump campaign attorney, Sidney Powell, also entered into a plea deal with prosecutors that would see her testify at the upcoming trials of the other codefendants.
Powell, 68, was a vocal Trump supporter who pushed outlandish conspiracy theories about foreign manipulation of voting machines. Legal analysts said the plea deals are a potential blow to Trump, who is accused of leading a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, where Biden won by some 12,000 votes.
– Chris Lefkow
