State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, a Republican candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, stands on stage with Sean Feucht, left, his wife, Rebbeca, and Jenna Ellis, right, during a primary night election gathering in Chambersburg, Pa., Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo
Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, a Republican candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, stands on stage with Sean Feucht, left, his wife, Rebbeca, and Jenna Ellis, right, during a primary night election gathering in Chambersburg, Pa., Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
A disciplinary judge on Colorado’s Supreme Court censured Republican lawyer Jenna Ellis on Wednesday for making false claims about voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Ellis served as senior legal advisor to the campaigns of both Pennsylvania state senator Doug Mastriano and former president Donald Trump.
She admitted to the Colorado Supreme Court that she made several false statements on social media and in TV appearances that the 2020 election was stolen – including that “Hillary Clinton still has not conceded the 2016 election,” that “Trump won by a landslide,” and that the outcome was “actually fraudulent.”
Ellis signed a stipulation that she violated professional ethics rules by misrepresenting the truth, “undermining the American public’s confidence in the 2020 presidential election.”
Political strategist Sam Chen said the judge’s decision to censure Ellis is unusual – but not surprising.
“This is something that I think could happen in other states. That’s the only thing I would look at because this is not contained to something she said in the court of law. This is contained to stuff that she said in public,” Chen said.
He said a censure is essentially a slap on the wrist, and Ellis likely won’t face other legal consequences.
“I think this is more, ‘Jenna Ellis did not believe a conspiracy theory about the election, but she peddled one,’ which I think is worse, much worse,” Chen said. “Just to know that this did not happen, yet to play the part of somebody who believes it did.”
Ellis is the latest former Trump attorney to face discipline for their efforts to keep Trump in power despite losing the 2020 election.
Rudy Giuliani had his New York state law license suspended in 2021 for lying about the results. John Eastman is fighting to keep his license in California.
The signed stipulation acknowledges Ellis made the statements “with at least a reckless state of mind,” but she tweeted she believed the election fraud claims were true at the time, and did not knowingly lie.
https://twitter.com/JennaEllisEsq/status/1633815849676021760?s=20
“That is FALSE. I would NEVER lie. Lying requires INTENTIONALLY making a false statement,” she tweeted. “I never did that, nor did I stipulate to or admit that.”
The judge noted there was no precedent for Ellis’ attempts to help keep a sitting president in office despite losing an election, and that she “had a selfish motive and she engaged in a pattern of misconduct” while doing so.
“If there are others who are on the record somewhere knowing that this isn’t true, but have continued to peddle this,” Chen said. “Does this open up the door for others to go through similar processes and get censured – or another degree of action taken against them?”
Ellis testified last year before the House January 6th Select Committee and was asked about her role in helping Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano promote Trump’s election fraud lies. She participated in a meeting Mastriano held in Gettysburg and claimed there was voter fraud in Pennsylvania – without providing any proof.
Mastriano hired her to his campaign for governor three months after her testimony.
Ellis is still free to practice law in Colorado and faces no criminal charges.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
