Trump Georgia election case: Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty

Trump campaign attorney Kenneth Chesebro agreed to plead guilty Friday to a felony charge in the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump.

The deal came the day after Sidney Powell, another one-time key advisor to the former president, struck her own plea deal with prosecutors in Atlanta.

Chesebro, like Powell, will be required to testify truthfully at the trials of other co-defendants in the case, including Trump, if he is asked to do so.

Chesebro’s abrupt flip signals rising pressure on the defendants to cooperate with Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecutors — putting more heat on Trump.

Chesebro had reportedly turned down a plea offer as recently as last month, NBC News and other outlets reported Thursday. He pleaded guilty shortly after jury proceedings had in his trial had begun.

His turnabout Friday makes him the third of 19 co-defendants to plead guilty in Willis’ case, which alleges a sweeping conspiracy by Trump and others to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia’s 2020 election.

Chesebro was initially charged with seven counts related to efforts to advance alternate electors who would vote for Trump in swing states where he lost to President Joe Biden, among them Georgia.

The charges against Chesebro included violating Georgia’s racketeering act, as well as conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery and conspiracy to commit false statements and documents.

The deal negotiated with prosecutors dropped all of those charges except one count of conspiracy to file false documents.

Chesebro will receive five years’ probation and must pay $5,000 in restitution to Georgia as part of the plea agreement. He must also complete 100 hours of community service and submit an apology letter to the court.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.