In a recent development in the Georgia election interference case involving former President Donald Trump and others, a judge has rejected an attempt to invalidate the guilty plea of former Trump campaign lawyer Kenneth Chesebro. Chesebro, along with Trump and 17 others, was charged in August 2023 for allegedly participating in a scheme to illegally overturn Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Chesebro pleaded guilty to a single conspiracy count a few months after the indictment was issued. His lawyer had requested the plea be invalidated after the charge he pleaded guilty to was tossed out by the judge in September. The judge's order denying the request cited procedural defects in the motion and highlighted that Chesebro had already submitted a plea of guilt in response to the indictment.
The defense attorney argued that the request could be considered a 'motion in arrest of judgment,' but the judge clarified that no judgment had been rendered against Chesebro due to his sentencing under Georgia's First Offender Act.
Prosecutors alleged that Chesebro was involved in a plot to falsify documents declaring Trump as the winner in Georgia. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge related to filing false documents. Chesebro was one of four individuals to plead guilty in the case, while the remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty.
The case against Trump and the others is currently on hold pending a pretrial appeal regarding a conflict of interest issue involving the district attorney. The outcome of the case against Trump remains uncertain as he is expected to be sworn in as president again next month.
