Dustin Jones
, Dust
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NPR
August 16th, 2023
Jenna Ellis, a conservative media figure and former attorney for Donald Trump, is crowdfunding her defense fees after being indicted along with the former president and 17 others earlier this week.
Ellis posted a link to her crowdfunding campaign on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday evening with a quote from attorney Mike Melito, who she says is representing her.
“We will fight for Jenna. If you would like to help support our efforts please consider donating by clicking the link below,” the quote reads. “America and the profession of law are worth the fight.”
NPR reached out to Melito, who owns a law firm based in Denver, multiple times to verify the quote and his representation of Ellis, but did not hear back before publication.
The message to potential donors on the GiveSendGo fundraising site is a short one: “Jenna Ellis, former senior legal adviser and personal counsel to President Trump, is being targeted and the government is trying to criminalize the practice of law,” the text reads. “Help her fight back and stand for the truth!”
As of midday Wednesday afternoon, Ellis had raised more than $13,000, according to the crowdfunding page. She’s also managed to raise more than 1,000 prayers, as the site provides the option for supporters to send those her way as well as financial donations.
Ellis was indicted along with other members of Trump’s former legal team, including Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and John Eastman, for their role in attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. The charges brought against the 19 defendants are at the state level, meaning if Trump — the Republican presidential frontrunner — is found guilty, he cannot pardon himself or his companions if reelected in 2024.
Ellis is backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary. She described DeSantis as the “right choice” with “excellent rationale” on Trump’s social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday.
But before that, she was one of the Trump campaign’s senior legal advisers and one of the former president’s most ardent loyalists.
Ellis was censured by Colorado legal officials last March after she admitted to making 10 “misrepresentations” during Trump’s attempts to stay in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election, The Associated Press reported.
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