Jenna Ellis, former Trump attorney with deep Colorado ties, pleads guilty in election case
A former lawyer for former President Donald Trump with deep ties to Colorado pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge related to efforts to reverse the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
Jenna Ellis attended Colorado State University, worked in the Weld County District Attorney's Office and taught at Colorado Christian University. She is now a convicted felon.
Ellis told the court through tears, "as an attorney and a Christian, I take my responsibilities as a lawyer very seriously."
In an Atlanta courtroom, Ellis pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting false statements about the 2020 presidential election being stolen. She previously served as an attorney for former President Trump and vocally supported his claims.
Days after the election, she made claims that the election was rigged.
"President Trump has been saying since day one that this is about elections in this country," she said.
Ellis was censured by the Colorado Supreme Court in March for her election denial statements.
In her statement to a Fulton County, Georgia court regarding her plea bargain, Ellis said, "I relied on others, including lawyers with many years of experience, to provide me with true and reliable information."
Legal analyst and Denver University law professor Karen Steinhauser views the plea deal as a potential move up the ladder, where prosecutors may use lower-level players' cooperation to target those they perceive as the main culprits.
The former president is among those charged in the case.
With her guilty plea, Ellis avoided prison time but received five years of probation, a $5,000 restitution requirement and must do community service.