A Colorado disciplinary judge on Wednesday rebuked Jenna Ellis, the attorney who played a key role in former US President Donald Trump’s attempts to overthrow the 2020 US presidential election.
Ellis, who is from Colorado, agreed with a disciplinary judge that he had repeatedly misrepresented the facts on social media and national television, including by claiming that the presidential election was stolen and that Trump “won in a landslide,” according to an opinion this week that approved a stipulation between Ellis and the state Supreme Court.
“The parties agree that Respondent, through her conduct, undermined the American public’s confidence in the presidential election, violating her duty of candor to the public,” Bryon Large, Colorado’s presiding disciplinary judge, wrote in his opinion.
According to documents released by Colorado’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, Ellis signed a regulation stating that several comments he made regarding the 2020 presidential election violated professional ethics rules, which prohibit attorneys from intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly misrepresenting themselves, CNN reported. As part of the deal, she agreed to pay $224.
Among the false statements highlighted in the provision were commented Ellis made on social media and during his television appearances. She claimed the Trump campaign had evidence the election was “stolen.
“The public censure in this matter reinforces that even if engaged in political speech, there is a line attorney cannot cross, particularly when they are speaking in a representative capacity,” Colorado Supreme Court Attorney Jessica Yates said in a statement , quoted by CNN.
“My client continues to be a practicing attorney in good standing in the state of Colorado. In a very heated political climate, we have secured that correct outcome,” an attorney for Ellis, Michael Melito, told CNN. Disciplinary Chair Judge Bryon M.Large approved the provision in an opinion piece Wednesday, along with the judge’s censure.
The Attorney Regulation Counsel’s office had previously given an indication that charges were being prepared against Ellis, but upon announcing the censure, the office said in a statement that it “is not currently filing any further charges against Ms. Ellis,” CNN reported.
Earlier last month, the Colorado Attorney Regulation Counsel said it had the authority to prepare and file a formal complaint against Ellis, CNN reported.
(With inputs from CNN and other agencies)
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