The Texas Court of Appeals has rejected Donald Trump's attorney disciplinary action against his former lawyer Sidney Powell.
In Georgia, 17 people, including Trump and Powell, were charged with election fraud for allegedly trying to manipulate the results of the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Powell has taken a plea deal and may have to give evidence against other defendants.
The appeals court strongly rejected the Texas attorney's argument that Powell should be disciplined for his role in the election. Judge Dennis Garcia, writing for the three-judge Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Dallas, wrote that the state court has taken a “scattered approach to this case, and that this court and the trial court have “The task remains to organize the debate on what issues to decide.''Sigh[d] It was actually brought up. ”
newsweek Mr. Powell's attorney, Robert Holmes, was contacted for comment via email on Friday. This was announced by the Texas State Bar Disciplinary Commission. newsweek There were no comments.
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In Wednesday's ruling, the appeals court said the Texas attorney was trying to suggest that Powell's carelessness in court filings suggested she was dishonest.
The court noted that the Texas Bar Disciplinary Code defines fraud to include “acts with the intent to deceive, not merely negligent misrepresentations or failures to disclose relevant information.” .
“Because the Regulations do not define “fraud,'' “deception,'' or “misrepresentation,'' courts have given these terms their ordinary meanings and generally “improve honesty, honesty, or good faith.'' “lack of frankness.''
“We are troubled by the court's implicit suggestion that applying the ordinary meaning of the term fraud means DR. [Disciplinary Rules] This includes inaccurate pleadings and carelessly submitted evidence.
“Common sense tells us, and case law has shown, that fraud involves more than carelessness or carelessness.”
Powell has had a difficult time since joining the Trump campaign shortly after the 2020 election.
President Trump welcomed her in a social media post on November 14, 2020, in which he called Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, and two others “in addition to our incredible lawyers and representatives. He welcomed the team as a “great team” and said it would “work on legal initiatives.” This is to protect the right to free and fair elections. ”
After President Trump welcomed her to his team, Powell made a number of baseless claims at a press conference on Nov. 20. At a news conference, which was also attended by Giuliani and Ellis, Powell suggested that Congress may have created the voting software used in Georgia and other states. It is believed that this was at the behest of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and that votes for Trump likely switched in favor of Joe Biden.
Three days later, Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Ellis released a statement distancing Mr. Powell from Trump's defense team.
“Sidney Powell is a private attorney. She is not a member of the Trump legal team and is not the President's attorney in his personal capacity,” Giuliani and Ellis said in a statement.
Mr. Powell reached an agreement with Atlanta prosecutors in October 2023, in exchange for a six-year suspended sentence, a $6,000 fine, and a written apology to Georgia residents, in exchange for a six-year suspended sentence, a $6,000 fine, and a written apology to Georgia residents. He agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro entered a plea deal the next day, pleading guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to submit false documents. He will also have to testify against other defendants. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case.
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