Word on the street (and by street, we mean CNN) is that Fulton County prosecutors are chit-chatting about potential plea deals with not one, not two, but six more co-defendants from the indictment. The mastermind behind this strategic chess game? District Attorney Fani Willis. Her goal? Get as many dominoes (read: co-defendants) to fall and cooperate against Trump, targeting the big fish of this whole fiasco.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, laid it out perfectly, saying Willis wasn’t keen on juggling 19 trials. Instead, she’s been strategizing for 18 guilty pleas and one blockbuster trial spotlighting Trump. It’s like a courtroom version of “Survivor,” and Trump’s allies are steadily getting voted off the island.
Now, not everyone’s playing ball. Robert Cheeley, a pro-Trump lawyer, is opting out of the plea party, his attorney confirmed. But others, like former Coffee County elections supervisor Misty Hampton and ex-Trump campaign official Mike Roman, are considering singing a different tune and striking deals.
Let’s back it up: of the original 19 defendants, four have already taken plea deals. What’s fascinating is these aren’t lifelong mobsters or hardened criminals. Rahmani said it best: “These aren’t career criminals… The offer is too good to pass up.”
Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace University, weighed in, dubbing this a “significant win” for prosecutors. By offering softer sentences or lesser charges, Willis is successfully getting the inside scoop on the conspiracy’s main players, like Trump and his squad, which includes Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman.
Quick history recap: Trump and his crew were indicted under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). It’s a tool that usually targets organized crime. In this case, it’s being used to charge multiple people for crimes they allegedly plotted together. Like a very illegal group project.
Paul Saputo, a defense attorney, said the major challenge is proving that all these players were in cahoots. That’s why these plea deals are pure gold. They’re the key to understanding the behind-the-scenes planning and coordination, which, in conspiracy cases, is the crux.
Already, four insiders have accepted plea deals, giving the state’s case a Hulk-level power-up. As these folks spill the beans in exchange for their deals, the narrative of this vast “racketeering enterprise” becomes clearer.
Conspiracy cases are like snowballs, and Saputo points out that as more guilty pleas roll in, the weight of evidence against Trump becomes massive. While Trump’s defense might attempt to throw shade on individual testimonies, the collective force of numerous insiders turning state’s witnesses can’t be easily dismissed.
Gershman suggests that the case is being meticulously tailored to laser-focus on the major offenders, mainly Trump and his closest confidantes.
Saputo rounds out with a fair warning: the game isn’t over. Trump’s defense might try pulling a Hail Mary by questioning each insider’s credibility. Yet, with the weight of multiple testimonies piling up, the reality of an organized conspiracy becomes harder to deny.
