President Trump’s campaign on Sunday distanced itself from Sidney Powell, saying that the lawyer who has been alleging voter fraud in the presidential elections is “not a member of the Trump Legal Team.” Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani reiterated that, “Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own.”
Who is Sidney Powell?
Sidney Powell has been a key member of President Trump’s legal team. Powell, a former federal prosecutor, took over last year as the lead lawyer for Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Since then, a federal judge rejected her claims of prosecutorial misconduct and she has supported a Justice Department motion to dismiss the prosecution, a request that remains pending before US District Judge Emmet Sullivan.
Following Biden’s victory in the presidential elections, Powell has been in the headlines in recent weeks for her increasingly outrageous and unsupported claims of voter fraud. Even after the Trump campaign’s statement, Powell said, “I intend to expose all the fraud and let the chips fall where they may. We will not allow the foundations of this great Republic to be destroyed by abject fraud or our votes for President Trump and other Republicans to be stolen by foreign interests or anyone else.”
Powell made headlines with her statements at a Thursday news conference where, joined by Giuliani and Ellis, she suggested without evidence that a server hosting evidence of voting irregularities was located in Germany and the voting software used by Georgia and other states was created at the direction of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
{{/usCountry}}Powell made headlines with her statements at a Thursday news conference where, joined by Giuliani and Ellis, she suggested without evidence that a server hosting evidence of voting irregularities was located in Germany and the voting software used by Georgia and other states was created at the direction of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
{{/usCountry}}Read more | Judge throws out Trump bid to stop Pennsylvania vote certification
What led to the fallout between the Trump campaign and Powell?
Although there has been no immediate clarification from the Trump team, the fallout between the Trump campaign and Powell was abrupt as last week President Trump himself had appreciated Powell’s involvement tweeting,
“I look forward to Mayor Giuliani spearheading the legal effort to defend OUR RIGHT to FREE and FAIR ELECTIONS! Rudy Giuliani, Joseph diGenova, Victoria Toensing, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis, a truly great team, added to our other wonderful lawyers and representatives!”
But Republicans have increasingly expressed their concern about Powell’s heightened rhetoric. Powell’s attacks on Georgia’s governor and top election official, secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, who are Republicans were also criticized by the party. And therefore for Republicans, Powell’s exit was not only impending but also necessary.