- Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis broke down as described her efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
- Ellis pleaded guilty to one count related to her efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.
Jenna Ellis, a lawyer who challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump, teared up on Tuesday as she entered her guilty plea in Georgia related to her failed efforts to overturn President Joe Biden's victory in the state.
"I believe in and I value election integrity. If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges," Ellis said in court, her voice breaking as she described her conduct. "I look back on my experiences with deep remorse."
Ellis began crying almost as soon as she began her statement. She pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting false statements, stemming from her falsely telling Georgia lawmakers that fake votes were counted in the 2020 election.
Her plea deal, negotiated with the Fulton County district attorney's office, will allow her to avoid jail time as long as she abides by its terms and cooperates with prosecutors. Under the deal, Ellis will face five years of probation, pay a $5,000 fine to the Georgia Secretary of State's office, and must complete 100 hours of community service. She is also prohibited from making comments in the media or contacting any of the witnesses involved in the case.
Ellis was one of more than a dozen Trump allies criminally charged alongside him in August, when the Fulton County district attorney's office in Atlanta brought a sprawling indictment alleging the group conspired to illegally overturn Georgia's election results.
She was one member of Trump's "Elite Strike Force" team of lawyers who held an infamous press conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters after Biden won the 2020 election. She stood alongside Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani as they sprouted conspiracy theories falsely claiming the election was rigged and Trump was the true winner. Powell, last week, pleaded guilty to her own set of criminal charges in the case, and Giuliani faces numerous other legal problems.
According to The Washington Post, Ellis is the first senior Trump aide who has been held criminally accountable for and admitted to making false statements about the 2020 presidential election.
Ellis has already faced sanctions for her actions. A Colorado judge said she "undermined the American public's confidence in the presidential election" as he handed down a censure.
After her indictment, Ellis openly complained on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Trump wouldn't cover her legal fees. She launched a fundraiser that raised about $200,000 ahead of her guilty plea.
"I don't have half a million dollars to defend myself against a weaponized government targeting me," she wrote on the social media platform in September.
Ellis previously said that she no longer supports the former president due to his "narcissistic" tendencies. Ellis also offered effusive praise for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's best-positioned GOP primary foe.
An attorney representing Ellis didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.