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Sidney Powell in December 2020 at a press conference on the election results in the US state of Georgia

Photograph:

Elijah Nouvelage / REUTERS

Donald Trump and other comrades-in-arms are accused in the US state of Georgia of conspiracy to commit election fraud and overthrow. A supporter of the former US president now wants to cooperate with the public prosecutor's office in the proceedings. Attorney Sidney Powell pleaded guilty in court to several misdemeanors, including involvement in a conspiracy to commit election fraud.

U.S. media, including the New York Times, unanimously reported that the court in Atlanta had ordered Powell to be given a six-year suspended sentence and that she had to pay a fine of several thousand dollars. In addition, she must write a letter of apology to the citizens of Georgia and testify "truthfully" about the case in future proceedings against other defendants.

Significant U-turn

Powell is the second person after a less prominent defendant to make a deal with prosecutors in the case to avert a trial and possible prison sentence. Their about-face comes as a surprise and is considered significant. Powell was considered a staunch supporter of Trump and is said to have been involved in various important conversations. Their insights could be useful to prosecutors in the indictment of Trump.

In Georgia, Trump had been indicted along with 18 other defendants – including Powell – for his attempts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in the state. At the federal level, the ex-president was also indicted in a separate case for his influence on the 2020 election.

Trump had lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden, including in Georgia. To this day, however, he refuses to admit defeat. Instead, Trump claims he was robbed of a victory by massive voter fraud. After the 2020 election, the Republican had tried to change the election result in various ways – including by putting pressure on political leaders at the federal level and in states such as Georgia.

Powell had asked for an expedited trial in her case — jury selection for her trial was supposed to begin this Friday.

aeh/dpa