Sidney Powell has agreed to plea guilty for her efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to flip on Trump.

  • kmartburrito@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    She literally has to flip on trump, it will be part of her deal to testify completely against any and all of her co-conspirators, including trump. She won’t want to have those 6 misdemeanors turn back into felonies where she will do serious time.

    I think you’re going to see her stop parroting trump’s bullshit, like her life depends on it, because for all intents and purposes, it does. She’s 68 years old, she doesn’t want the rest of that to be in prison, protecting an asshat that now doesn’t even acknowledge he had a relationship with her (even though he tweeted it, which is another dumb ass thing to add to his pile of fuckery).

    She will have told the truth to prosecutors, and she will have very limited things that she’ll be able to say to the public. I don’t agree with this article in how it posits things will go moving forward, but we will see.

    • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      She has to testify truthfully under oath, but I don’t think it covers what she says otherwise? She may be trying to keep the mob from turning on her in the meantime.

      I feel like Powell is a “true believer.” She’s convinced that she was right to break the law even if she admits to doing it.

      • kmartburrito@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I believe the judge will have some limits set on what she can say, and she won’t be able to talk about details of the case. Those fine details likely will never be unsealed, however outside of the limits placed on her as part of her plea deal she will be able to lie like the scum she is. So to a degree I think we’re both right, that line being an unknown.

        • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          I believe the judge will have some limits set on what she can say, and she won’t be able to talk about details of the case.

          I dunno - the deal is with the prosecution not the judge if I understand correctly… And judges can’t limit speech arbitrarily as people are finding out with Trump’s gag orders. I suppose we’ll find out soon though. If she has violated any court order she’ll likely be pulled back in to face the judge.

            • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              That doesn’t sound right… According to Cornell:

              In some jurisdictions, prosecutors and defendants can work with judges to predetermine what sentence the defendants will get if the defendants accept plea bargains. In most jurisdictions, however, judges’ role in plea bargaining is limited. For example, federal judges retain final authority over sentencing decisions, and are not bound by prosecutors’ recommendations, even if the recommendations are part of plea bargains.

              So the court can still sentence the party pleading guilty as they like but it sounds like they don’t typically have anything to do with the plea deal itself.

              They also play a role in enforcement:

              Courts treat plea bargains as contracts between prosecutors and defendants. A defendant breaking a plea bargain is akin to a breach of contract, which will result in the prosecutor no longer being bound by his or her obligation in the plea deal.

      • Telorand@reddthat.com
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        1 year ago

        I don’t think it covers what she says otherwise?

        For better or worse, she has a free speech right to lie in public (up to the point of violating someone’s rights). She can say what she wants outside of the courtroom, apart from what limits the judge has set.

        But once she’s in front of that judge, she’d better be truthful, because if she took a plea bargain, she knows prosecution has some good evidence against her and won’t be afraid to point out any lies.

      • buddhabound@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The reporting that I heard on her plea last week said that she was not to talk about the case to the media, other witnesses, or indicted co-conspirators.

      • BraveSirZaphod@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        The point is that, if she lies where it counts, under oath, her prosecutors have more than enough evidence to slam her with enough counts of perjury to last the rest of her life.

  • holiday@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Prosecution wouldn’t offer a plea deal unless she had information to offer.

    It’s not the prosecution saying “ok, you speak the truth and we cut you a deal.” It’s the defendant’s lawyer coming to the prosecution and saying “here is what she has to offer and if she says anything but this you can revoke the deal.”

  • PeleSpirit@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The first excerpt is from the right-wing Epoch Times, quoting Trump attorney Steve Sadow saying the pleas by Powell and others were the result of pressure from Willis under threat of prison time. The story cites Sadow saying that Powell’s testimony could only be favorable to Trump if she testifies truthfully.

    They’ll know if she’s testifying untruthfully and will adjust her sentencing accordingly. This is all so Trump’s mob doesn’t go after her is my guess.

    • Nougat@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      The plea deals absolutely were the result of the threat of prison time. They pleaded out because they’re guilty, and know they would be convicted if they went to trial.

      Of course a Trump attorney is going to say he’s innocent, and that truthful testimony from Powell will be “favorable” to Trump. He’s defending his client. That’s what defense attorneys do.

    • Ranvier@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Yeah this is definitely hopium from the right. She’ll have signed some kind of sworn statement that has some sort of value to the prosecution or this deal wouldn’t be on. If she she says anything but what she’s already sworn to, she’ll have perjury charges, the plea deal will be off (since testifying truthfully is one of the terms), and it won’t really provide any help for Trump even if she decided to perjure herself out of loyalty. No jury would view that witness as credible. Judge would probably instruct the testimony to be disregarded or something too.

  • doublejay1999@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I remember hearing this woman on the radio here I. The UK. I remember her name, because she was obviously and completely bonkers.

    Now I’ve seen her face, I have diagnosed psychopathy.

  • GreenBottles@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    does anyone else think that she looks like a horror movie character? it’s like any second she’s going to turn into the clown from IT or something

    • rifugee@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      … maybe she is the clown from IT. Have you ever seen the clown without makeup?