Sidney Powell’s Plea Deal Is So, So Bad for Donald Trump

On Thursday, Sidney Powell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor election interference charges in Fulton County, Georgia, becoming the highest-level figure to admit guilt in the vast conspiracy to try to overturn the 2020 election.

To put it more colloquially, Powell flipped. This is awful news for Donald Trump, as Powell also immediately becomes the highest-level known cooperating witness against him. Given what we know about Powell’s role in the days surrounding Jan. 6 and the very lenient terms of her plea deal, she appears poised to offer damning testimony against the former president.

How seriously will we be able to take that testimony? Given her history of flamboyant statements and conspiracy theories, former federal prosecutor Norman L. Eisen notes that “the jury is literally out on how probative she will be as a witness.” He continued: “She may have particularly damning pieces of information to share with a jury that are corroborated so that any credibility issues are bolstered by other witnesses, documents, or evidence.”