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Jenna Ellis, former Trump attorney with deep Colorado ties, pleads guilty in election case

Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis has pleaded guilty in the Georgia election case
Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis has pleaded guilty in the Georgia election case 01:58

A former lawyer for former President Donald Trump with deep ties to Colorado pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge related to efforts to reverse the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

Jenna Ellis attended Colorado State University, worked in the Weld County District Attorney's Office and taught at Colorado Christian University. She is now a convicted felon.

Ellis told the court through tears, "as an attorney and a Christian, I take my responsibilities as a lawyer very seriously."

Georgia Election Indictment
Jenna Ellis reads a statement after Ellis plead guilty to a felony count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings, inside Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee's Fulton County Courtroom, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, in Atlanta. John Bazemore / AP

In an Atlanta courtroom, Ellis pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting false statements about the 2020 presidential election being stolen. She previously served as an attorney for former President Trump and vocally supported his claims.

Days after the election, she made claims that the election was rigged.

"President Trump has been saying since day one that this is about elections in this country," she said.

RELATED: Colorado Supreme Court censures attorney and Trump legal adviser Jenna Ellis over 2020 election claims

Ellis was censured by the Colorado Supreme Court in March for her election denial statements.

In her statement to a Fulton County, Georgia court regarding her plea bargain, Ellis said, "I relied on others, including lawyers with many years of experience, to provide me with true and reliable information."

Legal analyst and Denver University law professor Karen Steinhauser views the plea deal as a potential move up the ladder, where prosecutors may use lower-level players' cooperation to target those they perceive as the main culprits.

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Karen Steinhauser   CBS

The former president is among those charged in the case.

With her guilty plea, Ellis avoided prison time but received five years of probation, a $5,000 restitution requirement and must do community service.

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