Jenna Ellis, who worked as a legal advisor to former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election, has reached an agreement with state legal regulators in Colorado. As per the agreement, she is prohibited from practicing law in the state for a period of three years.
In a recent decision made by a presiding disciplinary judge of the Colorado Supreme Court, Ellis’ law license suspension will go into effect on July 2. This disciplinary action was a result of Ellis’ indictment in Fulton County, Georgia, where she was allegedly involved in a scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Alongside Trump and 17 others, she was initially charged in the extensive racketeering case brought forth by Fulton County prosecutors in August of last year.
In October, Ellis admitted guilt to a single felony charge of aiding and abetting false statements and writing in violation of Georgia law. As a result, he received a sentence of five years probation. This charge stemmed from false statements regarding the election, which were made by former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and another Trump campaign attorney before a Georgia Senate subcommittee in December 2020.
Ellis, a native of Colorado, found herself in a precarious situation in her home state. In March 2023, she had been censured and faced disbarment due to unfounded allegations she made regarding the integrity of the 2020 election. During her time as a legal advisor to Trump and his campaign, she supported the former president and his allies in their baseless claims of election rigging. However, it is important to note that these claims were without evidence, and there was no widespread voter fraud.
According to the agreement between Colorado’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel and Ellis, it is acknowledged that her misconduct warrants disbarment as the presumptive sanction. However, it is important to note that her criminal involvement was as an accessory, rather than as a principal.
In a letter dated May 22, Ellis expressed her deep remorse for her involvement in activities that spread baseless claims about the 2020 election. She acknowledged that she was wrong to be a part of such conduct and admitted that the allegations of widespread voter fraud in the last presidential contest were unfounded.
“I must confess that I was overly enthusiastic in accepting and promoting the ‘facts’ that were presented to support the challenge, only to later realize that they were fabricated and untrue,” acknowledged Ellis. “If I had taken the time to thoroughly investigate these alleged facts before endorsing them as the truth, I wouldn’t find myself in this situation. I neglected to consider the possibility that senior lawyers for the Trump Campaign were endorsing claims that they were aware or should have been aware were false. I simply went along with it, and I deeply regret my actions.”
According to her, the campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 election has “misled” millions of Americans in a “cynical” manner.
According to Ellis, for a democracy to flourish, it is crucial for people to have confidence that their votes matter and that the electoral system is unbiased. He believes that the concept of “election integrity” should revolve around this idea, rather than being used as a political tool to showcase loyalty. Ellis emphasizes that the loss of faith in the fairness of our elections is the real harm that has been inflicted.
In a statement, she expressed her gratitude for accepting the three-year suspension, acknowledging her wrongdoing in spreading false claims about the election.