Is the 'dam breaking' for Trump? Legal experts weigh in on growing peril

So far, four of the co-defendants in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference case against former President Donald Trump have agreed to plea deals: bail bondsman Scott Hall and ex-Trump attorneys Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis. All of them have entered "guilty" pleas and will avoid prison, but in return, they must fully cooperate with Willis' office.

Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results are also the focus of a separate case being prosecuted by special counsel Jack Smith for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). And Smith is obviously keeping a close eye on developments with Willis' case.

Bloomberg News discussed the plea deals with some legal experts for an article published on October 25.

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According to former federal prosecutor Sarah Krissoff, recent plea deals could lead to other co-defendants flipping on Trump.

Krissoff told Bloomberg News, "There's a dam-breaking effect. More significant than perhaps the testimony that these individuals may give against Trump is the fact that it may just signify a trend of others being willing to cooperate against him to save their own hides."

Another former federal prosecutor, Amy Lee Copeland, predicts that the plea deals will be used to pressure Trump co-defendants who are still pleading "not guilty."

Copeland told Bloomberg News, "They appear to be doing this very strategically, looking at the people they would need to construct their case and build it out."

READ MORE: Jack Smith just tore apart Trump's 'startling' absolute immunity argument

However, Randy Chartash, also a former federal prosecutor, noted that when a co-defendant pleads "guilty" and receives a lenient sentence, defense attorneys will use that sentence to attack the cooperating witness.

Charash described Chesebro's sentence as a "slap on the wrist" and Powell's as a "wag of the finger."

READ MORE: How Jack Smith ordered Trump to 'put up or shut up': legal expert

Read Bloomberg News' full report at this link (subscription required).