Fulton County DA Engages in Plea Deal Talks with Additional 6 Co-Defendants in Trump Case

Fulton County prosecutors have engaged in discussions regarding plea bargains with at least six more co-defendants who, along with Donald Trump, have been charged for their involvement in attempting to undermine the 2020 presidential election, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The objective of District Attorney Fani Willis' office is evident: to secure the cooperation of as many co-defendants as feasible, thus placing Trump and potentially a small circle of his closest associates in a precarious position.

Pro-Trump attorney Robert Cheeley was given a plea deal in the Georgia case but, as per his lawyer, he rejected it. "It would be misleading to state that we are currently engaged in discussions with the District Attorney's office. They presented us with an offer some time ago, and we decided not to accept it," stated attorney Richard Rice, representing Cheeley.

Additional individuals, including Misty Hampton, the former elections supervisor of Coffee County, Georgia, and Mike Roman, a former Trump campaign official, have contacted the DAs office regarding a potential agreement, according to multiple sources.

It has been verified by CNN that three other individuals have also engaged in discussions with Fulton County prosecutors regarding a possible plea deal. However, their identities will not be disclosed in order to honor the concerns expressed by sources about discussing the case at this stage.

According to a source familiar with the strategy of the Fulton County DA, they would be willing to engage in plea negotiations with anyone except when it comes to the charges against Trump.

It is important to clarify that there is no indication that either the prosecutors or Trump's legal team have shown interest in discussing a plea deal. This lack of interest stems from the fact that any potential proposal would be completely dictated by Willis and would require Trump to plead guilty to all the charges he is facing. This effectively eliminates the possibility of meaningful negotiations, as stated by the source familiar with the DA's strategy. Trump maintains his innocence, pleading not guilty, and continues to assert that he won the election.

Four out of the 19 defendants in the Fulton County case, which includes three attorneys extensively involved in Trump's attempt to overturn the Georgia election results, have agreed to a deal. As part of these agreements, some defendants have pleaded guilty to felony charges in return for a more favorable recommendation for their sentence.

One common aspect of these deals is the requirement for the defendants to compose a letter expressing apology to the people of Georgia for their involvement in the efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election. However, the letters' content has displayed varying degrees of remorse.

During Tuesday's plea hearing, Jenna Ellis, a former attorney for the Trump campaign, conveyed her emotional apology. In a heartfelt letter read aloud in court, she renounced Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. This differs significantly from the written apology submitted by Sidney Powell, another former campaign attorney, according to a source familiar with the document, which remains undisclosed to the public.

So far, prosecutors have not offered a plea deal to Rudy Giuliani, an important co-defendant in the case and one of Trump's most vocal attorneys in 2020, as revealed by a reliable source familiar with the prosecution strategy. It is unlikely that prosecutors will do so at this point. Giuliani has been widely regarded as one of the primary co-defendants of Trump due to his alleged involvement in coordinating the extensive conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia and other places.

Recently, Giuliani has experienced the departure of two lawyers based in Georgia. CNN has contacted a New York attorney who continues to represent him.

Currently, there is no indication that Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, has been presented with a plea deal in the Georgia case, according to a separate source familiar with his specific situation in Georgia who spoke to CNN.

Meadows provided testimony to the grand jury and engaged with investigators as part of the federal investigation overseen by special counsel Jack Smith. Furthermore, he is actively working towards transferring his state charges in Georgia to federal court, hoping that this maneuver will potentially enhance his prospects in the case.

John Eastman, who is also viewed as one of President Trump's prominent co-defendants, has not been presented with a plea deal, as mentioned by his lawyer to CNN. Eastman advocated for Georgia state lawmakers to select a group of alternative GOP electors to substitute the legitimate slate of Democratic electors.

Willis' strategy revolves around concentrating on co-defendants who appear first on the indictment, and securing their cooperation. This approach was successfully employed by Willis in a 2014 RICO case, where she convicted key individuals involved in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal, as confirmed by a source familiar with the situation.

Robert James, a former district attorney in Dekalb County, Georgia, has closely observed the 2020 election racketeering case and suggests that this may mark the start of a series of plea agreements in Fulton County. The prosecutors' objective is to turn defendants into witnesses rather than adversaries. This strategy not only strengthens the prosecution's case through the availability of witnesses and direct evidence but also provides co-defendants with a sense of security and assurance that they will not face imprisonment, according to James.

One source familiar with the strategy said it can be summed up by an adage used by prosecutors in Fulton County RICO cases:

"The first to squeal gets the deal."

CNNs Katelyn Polantz, Paula Reid and Evan Perez contributed to this report.