Sidney Powell Paid for Georgia Election Machine Examination Upon ‘Threat,’ Her Lawyer Says

Former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell stands accused of breaching election machines in Georgia, a charge she vehemently denies.

The allegations stem from a January 7, 2021, incident involving the data forensic company SullivanStrickler, which copied data from election machines in Coffee County, Georgia.

“There are no communications of any kind between Ms. Powell and any of the alleged coconspirators or unindicted coconspirators that evince any agreement by Ms. Powell to have SullivanStrickler personnel to travel to Coffee County or to contract for their services for Coffee County—much less to do so for any illegal purpose,” Brian Rafferty, Powell’s lawyer, said. He asserts that Powell had no involvement in the incident, and any examination of the machines was authorized by the Coffee County Election Board.

Rafferty further explained that Powell did not organize or participate in the incident. He acknowledged that Powell’s nonprofit, Defending the Republic Inc., paid a bill from SullivanStrickler but only upon the company’s “threat to post information publicly online after its technicians apparently collected data from Coffee County machines.”

“All those substantive communications, limited as they were, effectively ended by December 19, 2020,” Rafferty said. He emphasized that Powell did not request the trip to Coffee County and was not even aware of it.

“Accordingly, she did not agree with anyone to undertake the collection of Coffee County data—even though it was done with permission of Coffee County officials—and the State has no evidence she conspired with anyone to violate any law,” Rafferty said. Despite these assertions, Powell and another defendant, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, have asked for a speedy trial, scheduled to commence on October 23.

The charges against Powell are part of a larger election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others, brought on August 14 by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The case alleges a racketeering conspiracy to challenge the 2020 election results.

Trump, facing multiple legal challenges, has denounced these cases as politically motivated efforts to interfere with his potential 2024 presidential run. The legal battles continue to unfold, with several defendants seeking to have the case moved to a federal court.