Former Trump Campaign Lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, Disbarred in New York Over 2020 Election Scheme -RT
Quote from Lawyer on June 27, 2025, 7:00 amIn a significant development in the ongoing fallout from the 2020 U.S. presidential election, a New York appeals court has disbarred Kenneth Chesebro, a former attorney for Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign. The decision, handed down on Thursday, June 26, 2025, by the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department, stems from Chesebro’s guilty plea in 2023 to a felony charge related to efforts to overturn Trump’s electoral defeat in Georgia. The court’s ruling marks a decisive professional consequence for Chesebro, who was described as a key architect of a controversial strategy involving alternate electors, aimed at subverting the democratic process.
Kenneth Chesebro, a 63-year-old attorney with a background in appellate law, gained notoriety for his role in crafting a legal strategy to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election in favor of then-President Donald Trump. Following Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden, Chesebro devised a plan that involved organizing alternate slates of electors in several battleground states that Biden had won, including Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The strategy, often referred to as the “fake electors” scheme, aimed to present these alternate electors as legitimate to then-Vice President Mike Pence during the certification of the electoral vote on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to disrupt Biden’s victory.
Chesebro’s actions came under scrutiny in Georgia, where he was indicted in August 2023 alongside Trump and 17 others in a racketeering case led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The charges accused Chesebro of conspiracy to commit filing of false documents, a felony tied to his efforts to orchestrate the submission of fraudulent electoral certificates claiming Trump had won the state. In October 2023, just before his trial was set to begin, Chesebro accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to the conspiracy charge. Under the terms of the deal, he received five years of probation, was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution, perform 100 hours of community service, and write an apology letter to the citizens of Georgia. Crucially, he also agreed to testify against Trump and other co-defendants in the ongoing case.
The New York appeals court’s decision to disbar Chesebro was based on the severity of his actions in Georgia, which the court deemed a “serious crime” under New York law. In an eight-page opinion, the Appellate Division concluded that Chesebro’s guilty plea reflected a breach of integrity and fitness to practice law, undermining the very principles of constitutional democracy that attorneys are sworn to uphold. The court rejected Chesebro’s arguments that the Georgia case was still unresolved, noting that his felony conviction warranted immediate disciplinary action.
The ruling effectively bars Chesebro from practicing law in New York, where he was licensed, and follows an earlier indefinite suspension of his law license in October 2024 by the same court. The suspension had already restricted his ability to practice, and the disbarment now formalizes his removal from the legal profession in the state. The decision underscores the judiciary’s commitment to holding attorneys accountable for actions that threaten the integrity of the electoral process.
Chesebro is not the only attorney associated with Trump’s 2020 election efforts to face professional repercussions. The broader campaign to challenge the election results has led to significant legal and ethical consequences for several prominent lawyers. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former personal attorney and a key figure in promoting baseless claims of election fraud, has been disbarred in both New York and Washington, D.C., for his actions. John Eastman, a former law professor who drafted memos suggesting Pence could unilaterally reject electoral votes from swing states, faces disbarment proceedings in California, with a judicial panel recently upholding a recommendation to revoke his license.
Other attorneys, such as Sidney Powell, who also pleaded guilty in the Georgia case, and Christina Bobb, charged in Arizona, have faced criminal and professional discipline for their roles in the election challenges. Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official, has been recommended for a two-year suspension in Washington, D.C., and faces charges in Georgia. These cases highlight a pattern of accountability for legal professionals who engaged in efforts to undermine the 2020 election results, a controversy described as one of the most significant political scandals in recent U.S. history.
Chesebro’s involvement in the fake electors scheme began with a series of legal memos he authored in November and December 2020. Initially focused on Wisconsin, where Trump’s campaign was pursuing election litigation, Chesebro’s strategy evolved into a broader plan targeting six battleground states. His memos proposed that alternate electors should meet and cast votes as if they were the legitimate electors, mimicking official procedures to create a veneer of legitimacy. These documents were shared with other Trump campaign figures, including Giuliani and Eastman, and were intended to pressure Pence into delaying or rejecting the certification of Biden’s electoral votes.
Chesebro has maintained that his actions were within the scope of legal representation, arguing in a 2022 interview that his role was to explore all possible legal avenues for the Trump campaign. However, legal ethics experts and prosecutors have sharply criticized his conduct, with some accusing him of misrepresenting legal scholarship to justify the scheme. Notably, Chesebro cited the work of his former mentor, Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe, in his memos, prompting Tribe to publicly denounce the citations as a gross misrepresentation of his scholarship.
In addition to his Georgia conviction, Chesebro faces a pending criminal charge in Wisconsin for conspiracy to utter forged official documents as legitimate, related to the fake electors plot in that state. He has also been identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in Arizona and as “Co-conspirator 5” in a federal indictment led by special counsel Jack Smith, investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. These ongoing legal battles suggest that Chesebro’s professional and legal troubles may continue.
The disbarment of Chesebro has drawn significant attention, particularly in light of the upcoming trials of Trump and other co-defendants in Georgia. Legal analysts suggest that Chesebro’s cooperation with prosecutors, as stipulated in his plea deal, could strengthen the case against Trump, who continues to face charges despite falsely claiming that the Georgia case is “entirely dead.” The disbarment also serves as a stark reminder of the consequences for attorneys who engage in unethical or illegal conduct under the guise of legal representation.
Public reaction, as reflected in posts on social media platforms, has been mixed but largely focused on the theme of accountability. Many users have hailed the decision as a victory for election integrity, emphasizing that Chesebro’s actions threatened democratic norms. Others have noted the irony that while Chesebro faces severe professional consequences, Trump, the central figure in the election challenges, has not yet faced equivalent legal accountability, having recently returned to the presidency.
Before his involvement with the Trump campaign, Chesebro had a career marked by liberal leanings. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he worked under Laurence Tribe and represented clients in cases against large corporations, including Vietnam veterans suing chemical companies. He also served as deputy special counsel in the Iran-Contra investigation and supported Democratic candidates, including Al Gore in the 2000 election dispute. However, after reportedly earning significant wealth from cryptocurrency investments, Chesebro shifted his political alignment, becoming unaffiliated in 2016 and later aligning with Trump’s campaign.
Following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, during which Chesebro was present on the Capitol grounds but not inside the building, he relocated to Puerto Rico and maintained a low profile. His brief employment with a New York-based personal injury firm ended abruptly after his 2023 indictment, further isolating him from the legal community.
The disbarment of Kenneth Chesebro marks a significant chapter in the legal and ethical reckoning for attorneys involved in the 2020 election challenges. As other cases against Trump and his associates move forward, Chesebro’s testimony could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the Georgia racketeering case. Meanwhile, his disbarment serves as a cautionary tale for legal professionals about the consequences of prioritizing political loyalty over ethical obligations.
The New York appeals court’s decision reinforces the judiciary’s role in safeguarding democratic institutions and underscores the principle that no attorney is above the law. As the nation continues to grapple with the legacy of the 2020 election, Chesebro’s fall from a respected appellate lawyer to a disbarred figure in a historic scandal highlights the high stakes of legal accountability in times of political turmoil.
In a significant development in the ongoing fallout from the 2020 U.S. presidential election, a New York appeals court has disbarred Kenneth Chesebro, a former attorney for Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign. The decision, handed down on Thursday, June 26, 2025, by the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department, stems from Chesebro’s guilty plea in 2023 to a felony charge related to efforts to overturn Trump’s electoral defeat in Georgia. The court’s ruling marks a decisive professional consequence for Chesebro, who was described as a key architect of a controversial strategy involving alternate electors, aimed at subverting the democratic process.
Kenneth Chesebro, a 63-year-old attorney with a background in appellate law, gained notoriety for his role in crafting a legal strategy to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election in favor of then-President Donald Trump. Following Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden, Chesebro devised a plan that involved organizing alternate slates of electors in several battleground states that Biden had won, including Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The strategy, often referred to as the “fake electors” scheme, aimed to present these alternate electors as legitimate to then-Vice President Mike Pence during the certification of the electoral vote on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to disrupt Biden’s victory.
Chesebro’s actions came under scrutiny in Georgia, where he was indicted in August 2023 alongside Trump and 17 others in a racketeering case led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The charges accused Chesebro of conspiracy to commit filing of false documents, a felony tied to his efforts to orchestrate the submission of fraudulent electoral certificates claiming Trump had won the state. In October 2023, just before his trial was set to begin, Chesebro accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to the conspiracy charge. Under the terms of the deal, he received five years of probation, was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution, perform 100 hours of community service, and write an apology letter to the citizens of Georgia. Crucially, he also agreed to testify against Trump and other co-defendants in the ongoing case.
The New York appeals court’s decision to disbar Chesebro was based on the severity of his actions in Georgia, which the court deemed a “serious crime” under New York law. In an eight-page opinion, the Appellate Division concluded that Chesebro’s guilty plea reflected a breach of integrity and fitness to practice law, undermining the very principles of constitutional democracy that attorneys are sworn to uphold. The court rejected Chesebro’s arguments that the Georgia case was still unresolved, noting that his felony conviction warranted immediate disciplinary action.
The ruling effectively bars Chesebro from practicing law in New York, where he was licensed, and follows an earlier indefinite suspension of his law license in October 2024 by the same court. The suspension had already restricted his ability to practice, and the disbarment now formalizes his removal from the legal profession in the state. The decision underscores the judiciary’s commitment to holding attorneys accountable for actions that threaten the integrity of the electoral process.
Chesebro is not the only attorney associated with Trump’s 2020 election efforts to face professional repercussions. The broader campaign to challenge the election results has led to significant legal and ethical consequences for several prominent lawyers. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former personal attorney and a key figure in promoting baseless claims of election fraud, has been disbarred in both New York and Washington, D.C., for his actions. John Eastman, a former law professor who drafted memos suggesting Pence could unilaterally reject electoral votes from swing states, faces disbarment proceedings in California, with a judicial panel recently upholding a recommendation to revoke his license.
Other attorneys, such as Sidney Powell, who also pleaded guilty in the Georgia case, and Christina Bobb, charged in Arizona, have faced criminal and professional discipline for their roles in the election challenges. Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official, has been recommended for a two-year suspension in Washington, D.C., and faces charges in Georgia. These cases highlight a pattern of accountability for legal professionals who engaged in efforts to undermine the 2020 election results, a controversy described as one of the most significant political scandals in recent U.S. history.
Chesebro’s involvement in the fake electors scheme began with a series of legal memos he authored in November and December 2020. Initially focused on Wisconsin, where Trump’s campaign was pursuing election litigation, Chesebro’s strategy evolved into a broader plan targeting six battleground states. His memos proposed that alternate electors should meet and cast votes as if they were the legitimate electors, mimicking official procedures to create a veneer of legitimacy. These documents were shared with other Trump campaign figures, including Giuliani and Eastman, and were intended to pressure Pence into delaying or rejecting the certification of Biden’s electoral votes.
Chesebro has maintained that his actions were within the scope of legal representation, arguing in a 2022 interview that his role was to explore all possible legal avenues for the Trump campaign. However, legal ethics experts and prosecutors have sharply criticized his conduct, with some accusing him of misrepresenting legal scholarship to justify the scheme. Notably, Chesebro cited the work of his former mentor, Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe, in his memos, prompting Tribe to publicly denounce the citations as a gross misrepresentation of his scholarship.
In addition to his Georgia conviction, Chesebro faces a pending criminal charge in Wisconsin for conspiracy to utter forged official documents as legitimate, related to the fake electors plot in that state. He has also been identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in Arizona and as “Co-conspirator 5” in a federal indictment led by special counsel Jack Smith, investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. These ongoing legal battles suggest that Chesebro’s professional and legal troubles may continue.
The disbarment of Chesebro has drawn significant attention, particularly in light of the upcoming trials of Trump and other co-defendants in Georgia. Legal analysts suggest that Chesebro’s cooperation with prosecutors, as stipulated in his plea deal, could strengthen the case against Trump, who continues to face charges despite falsely claiming that the Georgia case is “entirely dead.” The disbarment also serves as a stark reminder of the consequences for attorneys who engage in unethical or illegal conduct under the guise of legal representation.
Public reaction, as reflected in posts on social media platforms, has been mixed but largely focused on the theme of accountability. Many users have hailed the decision as a victory for election integrity, emphasizing that Chesebro’s actions threatened democratic norms. Others have noted the irony that while Chesebro faces severe professional consequences, Trump, the central figure in the election challenges, has not yet faced equivalent legal accountability, having recently returned to the presidency.
Before his involvement with the Trump campaign, Chesebro had a career marked by liberal leanings. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he worked under Laurence Tribe and represented clients in cases against large corporations, including Vietnam veterans suing chemical companies. He also served as deputy special counsel in the Iran-Contra investigation and supported Democratic candidates, including Al Gore in the 2000 election dispute. However, after reportedly earning significant wealth from cryptocurrency investments, Chesebro shifted his political alignment, becoming unaffiliated in 2016 and later aligning with Trump’s campaign.
Following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, during which Chesebro was present on the Capitol grounds but not inside the building, he relocated to Puerto Rico and maintained a low profile. His brief employment with a New York-based personal injury firm ended abruptly after his 2023 indictment, further isolating him from the legal community.
The disbarment of Kenneth Chesebro marks a significant chapter in the legal and ethical reckoning for attorneys involved in the 2020 election challenges. As other cases against Trump and his associates move forward, Chesebro’s testimony could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the Georgia racketeering case. Meanwhile, his disbarment serves as a cautionary tale for legal professionals about the consequences of prioritizing political loyalty over ethical obligations.
The New York appeals court’s decision reinforces the judiciary’s role in safeguarding democratic institutions and underscores the principle that no attorney is above the law. As the nation continues to grapple with the legacy of the 2020 election, Chesebro’s fall from a respected appellate lawyer to a disbarred figure in a historic scandal highlights the high stakes of legal accountability in times of political turmoil.