A lawyer for the defendant in a wide-ranging Georgia 2020 election case on Wednesday admitted to publicly revealing discussions between potential witnesses and prosecutors.
Jonathan Miller, who represents former Coffee County elections supervisor Misty Hampton, admitted in court that he sent a video recording of what he said were discussions of the bid to an unidentified news outlet.
“In being transparent with the court and to make sure no one else is to blame for what happened — and so I can sleep well tonight — judge, I’ve released the video to one outlet,” Miller said, according to multiple reports.
“And frankly, I need the court to find out.”
Miller’s admission was made during an emergency hearing on prosecutors’ request for a protective order to restrict the sharing of evidence.
The trial was prompted by leaked on-camera statements made by four co-defendants who have pleaded guilty in the case — attorneys Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell and bail bondsman Scott Hall.
Although Miller did not say where he sent the material, the Washington Post reported it had received videos of all four defendants, while ABC News said it had received videos of Ellis and Powell’s statements.
Jonathan Miller admitted in court that he sent a video recording of the so-called proffer discussion to an unidentified news outlet..Getty Images Misty Hampton faces charges for allegedly allowing the tampering of Coffee County election machines.AP
A leaked video shows Ellis claiming that he was told by a top Trump aide that the then-president “wasn’t going.” [office] under any circumstances” after his defeat by Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Another leak showed Powell telling prosecutors he “still believes ‘machine fraud’ tainted the 2020 presidential election.”
All four defendants were required to produce the video as part of their plea negotiations, which included a mandate to present what they knew about the scheme to overturn Biden’s victory in Georgia and to testify against their co-defendants in court if called by prosecutors.
The Fulton District Attorney’s office, Fani Willis, is prosecuting the racket case.REUTERS
Most notably, the charges against Miller’s client relate to the alleged access to Coffee County voting machines after the 2020 election, in which Hall and Powell were both allegedly involved.
Miller defended his decision to release the material, reportedly arguing that “to hide the offer that shows all the fundamentals are included in the appeal, it confuses the public about what is going on.”
“I believe they are helping my client and the public needs to know that,” the attorney told Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee.
Judge Scott MacAfee presided over the emergency hearing on Wednesday.AP
Tom Clyde, a lawyer for several media organizations, urged the judge not to issue a protective order, arguing that the material was newsworthy.
Ultimately, McAfee signaled that he would comply with Fulton County prosecutors’ request to issue the order.
“Until we decide what will be relevant and admissible, this case should be tried and not in the court of public opinion,” the judge said, NBC reported.
“We have seen what can happen when protective orders are not implemented.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
