Chesebro attorney argues client never believed Trump’s ‘big lie’ of election fraud

Kenneth Chesebro, one of former President Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the George election fraud case, didn’t truly believe the 2020 election was stolen, according to his attorney.

“First of all, Mr. Chesebro never believed in ‘the Big Lie,’” attorney Scott Grubman said Saturday in an interview on MSNBC. “If you ask Mr. Chesebro today who won the 2020 presidential election, he would say Joe Biden.”

Chesebro became the second of Trump’s former lawyers to accept a plea agreement in the case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. He pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to file false documents relating to his attempts to set up a regime of fake electoral college votes in Georgia. His trial was scheduled to start Monday.

Prosecutors claimed the former lawyer wrote legal memos on behalf of the Trump campaign creating a false legal backing for the fake elector scheme.

As part of the plea, the former lawyer agreed to testify in future cases if called upon. That would include the trial of former President Trump, scheduled for early next year.

Grubman said Chesebro’s guilty plea doesn’t implicate any other defendants, and that Trump should “not be worried.”

“He did not implicate anyone else. He implicated himself in that particular charge,” he said. “He is required to testify truthfully if he is called by the state, and Mr. Chesebro is a man of his word.”

“At the same time I will say, if he is called by a defendant he will testify and testify truthfully,” Grubman added.

The attorney also said he doesn’t believe his client would have much to add for the prosecution in any further case, predicting that he won’t be asked to testify in the future. 

“It’s not that Mr. Chesebro is wanting to protect Donald Trump. He’s not. He’s ready to move on with his life,” Grubman said. “While Mr. Chesebro was ready for trial, we were ready for trial, this was the best outcome. He is now home with his family and he can put this behind him.”

Chesebro’s plea comes a day after another former Trump attorney, Sidney Powell, also pleaded guilty.

Both defendants filed speedy trial requests pushing their trial dates up to next week, months before the case’s other defendants. However, an attempt to separate their cases was denied by a judge early last month.