CNN’s Jake Tapper Quips ‘Gold-Plated Walls’ Closing In Around Trump As Election Crimes Co-Defendants Plead Out
CNN anchor Jake Tapper quipped that the “gold-plated walls” seem to be “closing in” around ex-President Donald Trump as news of another blockbuster guilty plea broke.
On Thursday morning, attention shifted to Georgia with the blockbuster news that Powell — one of Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the Georgia election crimes case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis — has accepted a plea deal that will require her testimony at future trials.
Then on Friday, pro-Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pled guilty to the charges against him in that same election crimes case. His plea of guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents allowed him to avoid jail time.
On Friday’s edition of The Lead, Tapper reported the news with a dig at Trump’s affinity for gold-esque embellishments and his growing legal peril, then tossed to correspondent Nick Valencia for the latest:
TAPPER: The gold plated walls around former President Trump appear to be closing in on him. First, former Trump attorney, Sidney Powell, have released the crack and fame, flipped on Trump in the Georgia election subversion case. And now, Wisconsin’s own Kenneth Chesebro also took a plea deal. CNN’s Nick Valencia has more on that. Nick, what happened in court today?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was a stunning development out of Fulton County. As part of this plea deal, Ken Chesebro has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit false documents. That’s a felony count. But he’s also going to have to pay a $5,000 fine, do 100 hours of community service.
But perhaps most importantly, as he’s agreed to testify, in any future proceedings or trial for the remaining codefendants in this case, and that includes former President Donald Trump. After Ken Chesebro took this deal, I spoke to his attorney Scott Grubman outside the courthouse and I asked him what he would say to those critics who believe that Chesebro has turned his back on the former president and are calling him a snitch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT GRUBMAN, KENNETH CHESEBRO’S ATTORNEY: He didn’t snitch against anyone. He went in there. He accepted responsibility for what I would do as one of the minor kind of tagged on charges in the indictment. And that was that. I mean, I could absolutely tell you that again, if he’s called, he’ll go testify and answer their questions. But I would disagree. I don’t think Mr. Chesebro snitched against anyone. I think he simply decided it was time for him to put this behind him and go on with his life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: This was a significant win, a huge win really for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office because not only did they secure Sidney Powell on Thursday as a state witness against the former president, but now they also have Ken Chesebro. Two key witnesses as the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office can narrow its case against former President Donald Trump.
Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.
TAPPER: And our thanks to Nick Valencia in Fulton County for that report.
Watch above via CNN’s The Lead.
