Ex-federal prosecutor: Trump lawyers’ plea deals 'like a heat-seeking missile directed at Rudy Giuliani'
Several high-profile defendants in Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis' ongoing RICO case still have yet to be offered plea deals, according to a new report in The Guardian. This includes former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, attorneys Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, and former President Donald Trump himself.
One legal expert suggested that this may be by design. According to former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, Giuliani — the once-celebrated former mayor of New York City — may be privately angling for a plea deal himself, particularly in light of Trump attorney Jenna Ellis' recent decision to plead guilty to one felony count in order to avoid jail time.
"[Ellis] pled to aiding and abetting with two co-defendants, one of whom is Rudy," Weissmann said in a recent episode of the Pod Save America podcast. "That is just a direct aim. That is how you do this."
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"When you indict big, you try to roll up and have this domino effect and this sense of momentum," he continued, adding that remaining defendants are likely "worried about the proof getting stronger and the [plea] deals getting worse."
"The idea is: 'Come in now and get the best deal you can,'" Weissmann said.
According to the Guardian, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has still not yet set a trial date for the remaining defendants, as he has been advised that future plea deals may be entered. The likelihood of a deal for Trump, however, is extremely low, given that a motions hearing has been scheduled for the former president this December.
The Guardian reported that Willis' office has, in past RICO cases, prioritized the offering of plea deals to lower-level defendants first, with the strategy of those defendants then flipping on higher-level defendants in exchange for lighter punishments. The Guardian's unnamed source jokingly referred to this process as "bingo."
READ MORE: 'Aiding and abetting': Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis grabs guilty plea deal
Other defendants who have already entered guilty pleas include Trump attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, and bail bondsman Scott Graham Hall. A spokesman for Giuliani said earlier this week that the former New York City mayor would not be making a deal.
