tough times

Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis is apparently broke & has resorted to crowdfunding to cover her legal bills

Another day, another Trump lawyer hiring a lawyer to get out of trouble.

In the case of Jenna Ellis, she has resorted to crowdfunding to raise money for her legal defense fees after being indicted in Georgia along with the ex-president and 17 other people earlier this week.

Ellis, who first started working for Trump in 2019 as a senior legal adviser for his re-election campaign then stayed around to challenge the legitimacy of the 2020 election results after he lost, is charged with two counts: one of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer and the other of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison.

Yikes! No wonder she’s freaking out.

Thankfully, she has the Lord.

“The Democrats and the Fulton County DA are criminalizing the practice of law. I am resolved to trust the Lord and I will simply continue to honor, praise, and serve Him. I deeply appreciate all of my friends who have reached out offering encouragement and support,” she tweeted shortly after being indicted on Monday and told she has until August 25 to surrender herself to authorities or she may have a warrant issued for her arrest.

Oh, and she has the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo, where she’s managed to raise almost $45,000 as of Thursday morning to pay for her legal expenses.

“This is the OFFICIAL crowdfunding support page for Jenna Ellis, created by her legal team,” the page reads. “Jenna Ellis, former senior legal adviser and personal counsel to President Trump, is being targeted and the government is trying to criminalize the practice of law. Help her fight back and stand for the truth!”

Now, you might be wondering why Trump isn’t helping out his god-fearing, gay-hating former attorney during this difficult and scary time. After all, she was there for him in his moment of need.

Well, apparently Ellis made the mistake of voicing support for his primary opponent, Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis, and so she’s been cut off by the ex-president. At least, according to conservative influencer and die-hard DeSantis supporter John Cardillo.

“Just found out from very solid sources that Trump’s PAC won’t assist @JennaEllisEsq with one penny of legal fees because she has been complimentary and supportive of DeSantis,” Cardillo tweeted this week.

“So you can spend nearly a decade being unwaveringly loyal to Trump then get indicted because you worked for him, and he will abandon you and force you into bankruptcy if you change your mind about the best direction for the country.”

“There is nothing remotely loyal or patriotic about that.”

Meanwhile, die-hard Trump supporter Laura Loomer seemed to confirm the rumors when she suggested “professional liar and Trump backstabber” Ellis wouldn’t be getting a penny from the ex-president after her refusal to back him in the 2024 GOP primary.

“For the last several months, she has been attacking Donald Trump online with @TeamDeSantis. She betrayed Donald Trump (I personally think she intentionally sabotaged him because I can’t fathom how anyone can be as stupid as she is) and decided to support @RonDeSantis instead,” Loomer griped.

She continued, “Now she is crying online begging Trump supporters to donate to her legal defense fund. This woman is vile. She’s a liar, and she doesn’t deserve your sympathy, your prayers, your forgiveness or your money.”

“Loyalty matters.”

Oof.

The really stupid thing about all this is that, under the RICO, if one defendant goes down, they all go down. The law was designed specifically to dismantle organized crime groups, Ponzi and embezzlement schemes, criminal enterprises, and the like.

Per NYT:

It’s a powerful law enforcement tool. The Georgia RICO statute allows prosecutors to bundle together what may seem to be unrelated crimes committed by a host of different people if those crimes are perceived to be in support of a common objective.

“It allows a prosecutor to go after the head of an organization, loosely defined, without having to prove that that head directly engaged in a conspiracy or any acts that violated state law,” Michael Mears, a law professor at John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. “If you are a prosecutor, it’s a gold mine. If you are a defense attorney, it’s a nightmare.”

So, it’s actually in Trump’s best interest to help Ellis and pay for her legal defense, just like he’s doing for some of his other henchmen in other cases.

But apparently he doesn’t see it that way.

Prior to being indicted this week, 38-year-old Ellis, who has called LGBTQ+ people (who she sometimes refers to as “LGBTQIAAblahblahblah”) “sinners”, “vile”, and “abominable”, was censured by legal officials in Colorado last March after she admitted to making 10 “misrepresentations” during Trump’s attempts to stay in power after losing to Joe Biden in 2020.

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