Powell Took the Plea Deal. Looks Like He Didn't

Sources: Kenneth Chesebro, co-defendant in Georgia election interference case, rebuffed offer
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 20, 2023 7:54 AM CDT
Report: Chesebro Rejected Plea Deal
Kenneth Chesebro appears at a motions hearing on Oct. 10 in Atlanta. Jury selection is set to begin for Chesebro, the first defendant to go to trial in the Georgia case that accuses former President Donald Trump and others of illegally scheming to overturn the 2020 election in the state.   (Alyssa Pointer/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Attorney Sidney Powell accepted a plea deal from Georgia prosecutors on Thursday over efforts to overturn the 2020 election in favor of former President Trump. Powell was supposed to stand trial with another co-defendant, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, but he'll apparently be going it solo now: A source tells NBC News that the Trump campaign legal adviser rebuffed a plea deal last month from the Fulton County DA's office. His trial is set to start Friday, with Chesebro accused of aiding a "strategy for disrupting and delaying the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021."

Per ABC News, the plea deal that had been on the table for Chesebro would have involved him pleading guilty to one felony count of racketeering, the indictment's top charge. He wouldn't have to serve prison time in that case, but he would've received three years' probation, a $10,000 fine, and a directive to truthfully testify against other defendants in the case, including Trump. Chesebro also would've had to have penned a letter of apology to Georgia citizens, much like Powell has been directed to do.

Instead, Chesebro remains charged with seven counts tied to efforts to put forth a slate of alternate electors who would have voted for Trump in multiple swing states, including Georgia, per CNBC. The AP gives an advance look at his trial, starting with the jury selection that begins Friday. The outlet reports that 450 potential jurors are to descend on Atlanta's downtown courthouse to be considered for the case, with another 450 possibilities asked to come in next week just to make sure there are enough options. Prosecutors anticipate the trial will last about four months. (More Georgia indictment stories.)

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