Donald Trump‘s day got worse on Tuesday as one of his former aides and his former lawyer flipped even as Michael Cohen, who was previously his personal lawyer, testified against him at the New York County Courthouse in the civil fraud case.
The former president’s niece Mary Trump weighed in on the development along with Jean Taub, her guest at the Deep Dives, video series.
What Happened: Jenna Ellis, who was part of Donald Trump’s legal team during the 2020 campaign, pleaded guilty in the Georgia case over the overturning of state election results. Separately, ABC News reported that Mark Meadows, who was the White House chief of staff during Donald Trump’s tenure, had testified against the former president in the 2020 election subversion case after being offered immunity.
Commenting on the developments in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mary Trump, a psychologist by profession, said, “What a great night to flip like a pancake.” On Meadows being granted immunity in exchange for his testimony, she said, “Donald is screwed.”
Separately, in her interview with Taub, who is a law professor, advocate, and political commentator, Mary Trump said “Donald’s horrible, no good, very bad day just got seismically worse.”
Delving into Ellis’ tearful remarks in the plea deal, Taub said Donald Trump’s former lawyer might have been crying because she got caught and that she was going to be charged with a crime. “This puts [Rudy] Giuliani under extreme pressure to flip,” she added. Giuliani, also a former lawyer for Donald Trump, is a co-defendant, along with the former president, Ellis and several others in the Georgia election case.
Mary Trump and her guest agreed that more people would flip in the case.
Why It’s Important: Ahead of Ellis, two of Donald Trump’s attorneys Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro had pleaded guilty last week and agreed to testify against other defendants in the Georgia election case. Scott Hall, another defendant, pleaded guilty in September. Along with Donald Trump, 18 people, including those who have already flipped, have been named defendants in the case.
Former DOJ veteran Andrew Weissmann said he sees the Ellis plea as a “BIG deal.” “What is NEW, and NOT in Powell/Chesebro pleas, is a full cooperation requirement: obligation to meet with DA for interviews and to provide further statements, as well as of course to testify at hearings/trials.”
Even as the legal noose tightens around Donald Trump, the former president is still ahead with a big lead in the Republican presidential primary race.
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