“We’re Not Going to Leave” the White House: Trump Implicated by Leaked Recordings in Georgia Racketeering Case

Michelle HollandNov 18, 2023

Minute Read

New leaked recordings have surfaced in Trump’s election racketeering case that may create trouble for the former president. The recordings involve four of Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia-based case, each of whom took plea deals for their role in the scheme.

Election Racketeering In Georgia

The case concerns Trump and 18 other defendants who were indicted under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act for allegedly partaking in a criminal conspiracy to change the outcome of the state’s election results in 2020. A date for the trial has not yet been set.

The Defendants

Alongside the former president, Trump’s former attorneys Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and Kenneth Chesebro are among the defendants, as well as bail bondsman Scott Hall. These are the four individuals present in the leaked tapes.

The Leaked Clips

Editorial credit: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.

The leaked clips show the quartet answering questions from law enforcement pertaining to their involvement in the alleged crime. Georgia, a previously Republican state, turned blue in 2020; Biden ultimately won by 0.23 percentage points after a recount was conducted. Trump then famously asked the Georgia Secretary of State to “find” 11,780 more votes as part of the group’s efforts to overturn the outcome.

Plea Deals

Ellis, Powell, Chesebro, and Hall struck plea bargains with District Attorney Fani Willis, who is the prosecutor in the case, reducing their sentences and the severity of their charges. Similar arrangements are reportedly under discussion with at least six of the 13 remaining defendants.

Applying Pressure

Plea deals are being floated by the prosecution in attempts to pressure more defendants to voluntarily come forward and cooperate on the case.

New Revelations

One notable piece of information from the tapes is Powell’s claim that Trump relied on her for legal advice as most other White House officials were telling him to accept his defeat. She stated: “We were the only ones willing to support his effort to sustain the White House. I mean, everybody else was telling him to pack up and go.”

Fake Electors

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Chesebro, on the other hand, shared that he briefed Trump on election challengers in Arizona, and also made him aware of a memo on fake electors, indicating that he knew of the plot to substitute legitimate electors for Biden with fake ones for Trump and subsequently change the electoral college outcome.

“We’re Not Going to Leave”

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Most concerning for Trump is Ellis’ declaration that the former president told her “in a kind of excited tone, ‘well, we don’t care, and we’re not going to leave,’” referring to the White House. This explicitly demonstrates Trump’s intent to remain in office regardless of the outcome of the election.

Experts Weigh In

Amy Lee Copeland, former federal prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer in Savannah, said that Powell’s statement has not said anything “that is terribly damaging to the former president,” but that Ellis’ has — which “supports the inference that ‘whatever it takes’ was the thought and that [Trump] intended to remain in power.”

The Prosecutor’s Wish

Willis had hoped that Trump’s co-defendants would eventually speak out against him, whereas Copeland has noted that “whether this will move the needle for other co-defendants just remains to be seen.” She added that people talking can influence “other people because cases just aren’t set in stone at the time of indictment.”

An Emergency Motion

Following the leaks, Willis filed an emergency motion for a protective order in order to ensure no other confidential material gets publicly released. She explained that the leaks are “clearly intended to intimidate witnesses in this case, subjecting them to harassment and threats prior to trial,” adding that this “constitutes indirect communication about the facts of this case with codefendants and witnesses, and obstructs the administration.”

Accusing Trump

The leaked recordings generated a significant amount of discussion online. One forum commenter observed that “the filing alleges that the Trump defense team purposefully leaked the videos in order to intimidate witnesses.”

Intimidating Witnesses

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“100% they did,” another poster agreed, whereas another concurred: “Why wouldn’t they? DOJ and the justice system refuse to hold him accountable for any of his very public and obvious violations.”

How This Helps Trump

“But to what end? How does this help the defense?” one user asked. “People are already threatening her online,” someone responded, referring to Ellis. “This is to stop more witnesses from pleading out,” they continued. Others suggested that at least one of Powell and Ellis could also be behind the leaks in order to encourage more defendants to plead guilty by showing the hopelessness of denying involvement.

A Possible Mistrial

Another person speculated that the defense leaked the tapes, claiming their “primary goal is to get a mistrial,” concluding that “everyone knows he is guilty, and their best hope is to get the entire thing thrown out or delayed until Trump can be reelected.”

Getting Ahead

Someone else wondered whether the leak was a tactic from Trump’s team to “get this out of the way early,” and therefore allow it to “fade from our collective consciousness over the next year.” They added that “if the information is going to come out anyway, this allows them to control the timing of the revelations.”

A Smart Solution

Many people proposed watermarks as a way to prevent anonymous leaks from occurring in the future. One forum user wrote: “Too bad the DA did not tag every video with a watermark unique to each defendant’s copy to determine where the leak originated.” Others raised concerns that this would create accusations of the evidence being “modified.”