Sidney Powell

Sidney Katherine Powell was born on May 1, 1955,{{cite web|url=http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n96002132|title=Powell, Sidney K.|access-date=November 16, 2020|archive-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120033535/http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n96002132/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.fultonclerk.org/DocumentCenter/View/1403/CERTIFICATE-OF-MATERIAL-WITNESS-SIDNEY--KATHERINE-POWELL |date=August 22, 2022 |title=Certificate of material witness pursuant to uniform act to secure the attendance of witnesses from without the state, codified in the state of Georgia as O.C.G.A. §24-13-90 et. seq. |via=Clerk of Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia |first=Robert C. I. |last=McBurney}} in Durham, North Carolina, grew up in the city of Raleigh, and knew from an early age that she wanted to be a lawyer.{{cite news|last1=Morill|first1=Jim|date=November 21, 2020|title=Sidney Powell's road from UNC to defending Trump's supposed 'landslide' reelection|work=Charlotte Observer|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article247313859.html}}

She graduated from Needham Broughton High School and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts. At the age of 19, she was accepted into the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she graduated in 1978 with a Juris Doctor degree.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/commencement19781978univ/commencement19781978univ_djvu.txt|title=Commencement 1978 – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill|date=May 14, 1978 |publisher=University of North Carolina Library digital archive|access-date=November 15, 2020}} She began her legal career as one of the youngest federal prosecutors in the U.S.

From 1978 through 1988, Powell was an assistant United States attorney for the Western and Northern Districts of Texas and the Eastern District of Virginia, where she handled civil and criminal trial work. She was appointed Appellate Section Chief for the Western District of Texas and then the Northern District of Texas.{{cite web|url=https://www.federalappeals.com/attorneys/sidney-powell|title=Sidney Powell P.C.|access-date=November 14, 2020|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116033358/https://www.federalappeals.com/|url-status=live}}

Powell established her own law firm in 1993 in Dallas, Texas. Around 2002,{{vague|date=December 2020}} she began to practice in Asheville, North Carolina, but moved back to Texas later.{{cite web|last=Boyle|first=John|title=Answer Man: Is Trump lawyer Sidney Powell an Asheville resident?|url=https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/12/03/answer-man-trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-asheville-resident/3793310001/|access-date=December 4, 2020|website=The Asheville Citizen Times|language=en-US}}

Powell was best known as one of the prosecutors in the 1979 trial of Jimmy Chagra{{Cite news|first=Elizabeth|last=Thompson|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/11/20/5-things-to-know-about-sidney-powell-the-dallas-lawyer-on-trumps-legal-team-alleging-election-fraud/|title=5 things to know about Sidney Powell, the Dallas lawyer formerly on Trump's legal team|date=November 23, 2020|newspaper=Dallas News}}{{cite web|date=November 23, 2020|title=5 things to know about Sidney Powell, the Dallas lawyer formerly on Trump's legal team|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2020/11/20/5-things-to-know-about-sidney-powell-the-dallas-lawyer-on-trumps-legal-team-alleging-election-fraud/|website=Dallas News}}, who was accused in the assassination of John H. Wood Jr., a federal judge from Texas. He was acquitted of involvement in the assassination but convicted on other charges.{{Cite news|last=McKinley|first=James C. Jr.|date=July 29, 2008|title=Jamiel A. Chagra, 63, Drug Kingpin, Dies (Published 2008)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29chagra.html|access-date=December 4, 2020|issn=0362-4331}} He later admitted to his role in the conspiracy to murder the judge.{{cite news|last=Contreras|first=Guillermo|date=August 26, 2017|title=Judge's 1979 slaying was 'crime of the century'|url=https://www.expressnews.com/sa300/article/Judge-s-1979-slaying-was-crime-of-the-11962060.php|access-date=December 5, 2020|newspaper=San Antonio Express-News|language=en-US}}

In the 2000s, Powell represented firms and executives involved in the Enron scandal, including the accounting firm Arthur Andersen and former Merrill Lynch executive Jim Brown.{{cite web|url=https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/whitecollarcrime_blog/2014/10/too-much-skin-in-the-game-a-review-of-sydney-powells-licensed-to-lie.html|date=October 27, 2014|title=Too Much Skin in the Game? A Review of Sidney Powell's Licensed To Lie|last=Wisenberg |first=S.L.|access-date=November 20, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112013705/https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/whitecollarcrime_blog/2014/10/too-much-skin-in-the-game-a-review-of-sydney-powells-licensed-to-lie.html|url-status=live}} She was an outspoken critic of the Enron Task Force prosecutions, and accused prosecutor Andrew Weissmann of overreach.{{cite web|url=https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190612/michael-flynns-new-lawyer-is-firebrand-doj-critic-sidney-powell|title=Michael Flynn's new lawyer is firebrand DOJ critic Sidney Powell|first1=Andrew|last1=Harris|first2=Greg|last2=Farrell|date=June 12, 2019|work=Providence Journal|access-date=November 24, 2020}} After that, Powell wrote extensively about prosecutorial abuses in the 2014 book Licensed to Lie. The book was noticed by then-Senator Orrin Hatch, who described it as "powerful". The experience contributed to her distrust of government institutions.{{Cite news |last=Wickert |first=David |title=Sidney Powell's journey: From prosecutor to prosecuted |url=https://www.ajc.com/politics/sidney-powells-journey-from-prosecutor-to-prosecuted/4TOGCMJBRVCI3FBUEXIAJOSLF4/ |access-date=2024-09-30 |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=English |issn=1539-7459}}

In Licensed to Lie, Powell contended that prosecutors in the corruption trial of U.S. senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, held in 2008, before federal judge Emmet G. Sullivan{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/12/ex-trump-aide-michael-flynn-hires-lawyer-sidney-powell-in-mueller-case.html|title=Michael Flynn hires new lawyer, Sidney Powell, who had urged him to withdraw guilty plea in Mueller case|first1=Kevin|last1=Breuninger|first2=Dan|last2=Mangan|date=June 12, 2019|access-date=March 24, 2021|website=CNBC}} in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, intentionally withheld "Brady material" they should have disclosed to the defense and that they returned Rocky Williams, a terminally ill witness, to Alaska, ostensibly so that his testimony would not exonerate Stevens. The senator was subsequently convicted of seven felony counts of corruption for failing to annually declare gifts from VECO owner Bill Allen. However, due to numerous instances of prosecutorial misconduct, Attorney General Eric Holder moved to dismiss the indictment prior to sentencing, effectively vacating the conviction.{{cite news|author=Neil A. Lewis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/us/politics/02stevens.html |title=Justice Dept. Moves to Void Stevens Case |work=The New York Times |date=October 27, 2008 |access-date=March 24, 2021}}

{{Main|United States v. Flynn}}

After publishing her first book, Powell continued writing opinion pieces for right-leaning websites. In 2017, Weissmann joined Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation, reviving interest in Licensed to Lie from Newt Gingrich and Sean Hannity. Using her status as a former federal prosecutor, Powell became a leading voice against the Mueller investigation; in a February 2018 op-ed, Powell wrote that retired lieutenant general Michael Flynn should "withdraw his guilty plea" for making false statements to the FBI, alleging "egregious government misconduct". Powell's appearances on Fox News to discuss the Flynn case were noticed by President Donald Trump, and the two spoke on several occasions. To raise money for Flynn's defense, Powell spoke at a November 2018 conference, where she met Flynn's siblings. They agreed that Flynn was the victim of a "deep state plot" and had only pleaded guilty because he was coerced.{{Cite news|date=June 12, 2019|title=Michael Flynn hires Dallas lawyer Sidney Powell, a conspiracy theorist who calls Mueller a 'creep'|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/06/12/michael-flynn-hires-dallas-lawyer-sidney-powell-a-conspiracy-theorist-who-calls-mueller-a-creep/|access-date=November 20, 2020|newspaper=Dallas News|language=en|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117193736/https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/06/12/michael-flynn-hires-dallas-lawyer-sidney-powell-a-conspiracy-theorist-who-calls-mueller-a-creep/|url-status=live}}

Flynn released his law firm of Covington & Burling and retained Powell to serve as his lead attorney in June 2019. On the same day this was disclosed, Powell sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr requesting the "utmost confidentiality" and argued that Flynn's prosecution was due to "corruption of our beloved government institutions for what appears to be political purposes".{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/us/politics/michael-flynn-sidney-powell.html|title=How Michael Flynn's Defense Team Found Powerful Allies|first1=Mark|last1=Mazzetti|first2=Charlie|last2=Savage|first3=Adam|last3=Goldman|date=June 28, 2020|newspaper=The New York Times}}{{cite web |url=https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592.122.2.pdf |title=Letter to William Barr re Internal review, Brady, IG Report, Declassification, and Lt. General Michael Flynn (retired) |publisher=Sidney Powell, P.C. |date=June 6, 2019 |access-date=November 15, 2020 |first=Sidney|last=Powell|archive-date=October 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004032102/https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592.122.2.pdf |url-status=live }} Among other things, she requested that Barr appoint an outsider to investigate. Six months later, Barr appointed Jeffrey Jensen to conduct an investigation.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/us/politics/michael-flynn-sidney-powell.html|title=How Michael Flynn's Defense Team Found Powerful Allies|first1=Mark|last1=Mazzetti|first2=Charlie|last2=Savage|first3=Adam|last3=Goldman|date=June 28, 2020|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115211222/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/us/politics/michael-flynn-sidney-powell.html|url-status=live}}

The Justice Department filed a motion to drop Flynn's prosecution with presiding federal judge Emmet G. Sullivan in May 2020.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/politics/michael-flynn-prosecution/index.html|title=Justice Department drops criminal case against Michael Flynn|first=Katelyn|last=Polantz|website=CNN|date=May 7, 2020|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115190722/https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/politics/michael-flynn-prosecution/index.html|url-status=live}} Sullivan did not immediately grant the motion; Powell later requested a writ of mandamus from the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to compel Sullivan to drop the case. After an initial ruling in favor of Powell by a three-judge panel of the court, the case was appealed to the full court, which denied the mandamus request in an 8–2 ruling and returned the case to Sullivan's court.{{cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/full-d-c-circuit-court-rejects-michael-flynns-emergency-petition-for-immediate-dismissal-of-criminal-case/|title=Full D.C. Circuit Court Rejects Michael Flynn's Emergency Petition for Immediate Dismissal of Criminal Case|website=Lawandcrime.com|date=August 31, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118002308/https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/full-d-c-circuit-court-rejects-michael-flynns-emergency-petition-for-immediate-dismissal-of-criminal-case/|url-status=live}} Powell had argued to the full court that Sullivan's role was "ministerial", giving him no discretion but to comply with the Justice Department motion, to which judge Thomas Griffith replied: "It's not ministerial and you know it's not. So it's not ministerial, so that means that the judge has to do some thinking about it, right?"{{Cite news|first=Eric|last=Tucker|url=https://www.startribune.com/appeals-court-seems-wary-of-ordering-dismissal-of-flynn-case/572077712/|title=Appeals court seems wary of ordering dismissal of Flynn case|newspaper=Star Tribune|date=August 11, 2020|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116173645/https://www.startribune.com/appeals-court-seems-wary-of-ordering-dismissal-of-flynn-case/572077712/|url-status=live}} Other judges on the court also pushed back on Powell's characterization of a federal judge's role.{{cite web|url=https://www.courthousenews.com/flynn-argument-against-judge-falls-flat-for-full-dc-circuit/|title='That's Not True and You Know It,' Federal Judge Tells DOJ Lawyer in Flynn Matter|date=August 11, 2020|website=Courthousenews.com|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117142405/https://www.courthousenews.com/flynn-argument-against-judge-falls-flat-for-full-dc-circuit/|url-status=live}} After Trump pardoned Flynn in November 2020, Sullivan dismissed the case as moot, though he stated he probably would have denied the Justice Department motion had the case proceeded.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/michael-flynn-case-dismissed/2020/12/08/31abb5de-0975-11eb-a166-dc429b380d10_story.html|title=Michael Flynn judge says pardon doesn't mean ex-national security adviser is innocent|first1=Spencer S.|last1=Hsu|first2=Ann E.|last2=Marimow|via=www.washingtonpost.com}} According to a Justice Department official, the Justice Department was not consulted about the pardon.{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-pardon-michael-flynn-russia-aeef585b08ba6f2c763c8c37bfd678ed|work=Associated Press|title=Trump pardons Flynn despite guilty plea in Russia probe|author=Tucker, Eric|date=November 25, 2020|access-date=November 26, 2020}}

Soon after taking the Flynn case, Powell had accused the Justice Department of prosecutorial misconduct against Flynn; in a footnote to a June 2020 court brief, the department described Powell's allegations as "unfounded and provide no basis for impugning the prosecutors from the D.C. United States Attorney's Office".{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/01/17/maga-lawyer-behind-michael-flynn-legal-strategy-098712|title=The #MAGA Lawyer Behind Michael Flynn's Scorched-Earth Legal Strategy|first=Keith|last=Kloor|website=Politico|date=January 17, 2020|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115032301/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/01/17/maga-lawyer-behind-michael-flynn-legal-strategy-098712|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/17/michael-flynn-prosecutors-justice-department-326240|title=Justice Department defends prosecutors in Flynn case|website=Politico|date=June 17, 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592.227.0_10.pdf |title=United States v. Michael T. Flynn, Crim. No. 17-232 (D.D.C. 2020) – Government's Response to Court-Appointed Amicus Curiae, the Honorable John Gleeson (Ret.) |access-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120033525/https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592/gov.uscourts.dcd.191592.227.0_10.pdf |url-status=live }}

Powell has been described as a proponent of conspiracy theories about Flynn, namely that he was framed by members of the "deep state" who were trying to eject President Donald Trump from office.{{cite news|last1=Davis|first1=Aaron C.|last2=Dawsey|first2=Josh|last3=Brown|first3=Emma|last4=Swaine|first4=Jon|date=November 28, 2020|title=For Trump advocate Sidney Powell, a playbook steeped in conspiracy theories|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/sidney-powell-trump-kraken-lawsuit/2020/11/28/344d0b12-2e78-11eb-96c2-aac3f162215d_story.html|access-date=November 30, 2020}}

{{Main|Post-election lawsuits related to the 2020 United States presidential election|2020 United States presidential election#Controversies}}

Days before the 2020 presidential election, Dennis Montgomery, a software designer with a history of making dubious claims, asserted that a government supercomputer program would be used to switch votes from Trump to Biden on voting machines. Powell promoted the conspiracy theory on Lou Dobbs Tonight on November 6,{{Cite news|date=November 10, 2020|title=Fact check: TV news clip does not show 'live computerized fraud' on Election Day 2020|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-cnn-not-evidence-vote-fraud-idUSKBN27P2TI|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116100851/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-cnn-not-evidence-vote-fraud-idUSKBN27P2TI|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Fichera|first1=Angelo|last2=Spencer|first2=Saranac Hale|date=November 13, 2020|title=Bogus Theory Claims Supercomputer Switched Votes in Election|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2020/11/bogus-theory-claims-supercomputer-switched-votes-in-election/|access-date=November 15, 2020|website=FactCheck.org|language=en-US|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115032246/https://www.factcheck.org/2020/11/bogus-theory-claims-supercomputer-switched-votes-in-election/|url-status=live}} and again on November 8, 2020, on Maria Bartiromo's Fox Business program, ...claiming to have "evidence that that is exactly what happened".

On December 10, – long after other hosts had started to push her for more evidence – Dobbs continued to praise her.

"Sidney Powell, thank you for all you're doing," "It is the Lord's work."{{cite web|last1=Fichera|first1=Angelo|last2=Spencer|first2=Saranac Hale|date=November 13, 2020 |title=Bogus Theory Claims Supercomputer Switched Votes in Election|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2020/11/bogus-theory-claims-supercomputer-switched-votes-in-election/|access-date=November 22, 2020|website=FactCheck.org|language=en-US}}

The Washington Post indicated Bartiromo asked Powell for proof of specifics of voting fraud made by her, supposedly including dead voters casting ballots, ballots lacking Trump's name, and a postal employee's confession that he had postdated mailed ballots. She said "Sidney, we talked about the Dominion software." "I know that there were voting irregularities. Tell me about that."Sarah Ellison and Amy Gardner (March 16, 2023). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/03/16/sidney-powell-fox-news-dominion/ At center of Fox News lawsuit, Sidney Powell and a 'wackadoodle' email], The Washington Post. Retrieved March 18, 2023. Powell alleged that a secret international cabal involving communists, "globalists", George Soros, Hugo Chávez (who died in 2013), the Clinton Foundation, the CIA, and thousands of Democratic and Republican officials—including then-Trump ally and Georgia governor Brian Kemp—used voting machines to transfer millions of votes away from Trump in the 2020 presidential election.{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Joe |date=November 20, 2020 |title=Who Is Sidney Powell? Meet Trump's New Top Conspiracy Theorist |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/11/20/who-is-sidney-powell-meet-trumps-new-top-conspiracy-theorist/?sh=2ed589a51f9d |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121172738/https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/11/20/who-is-sidney-powell-meet-trumps-new-top-conspiracy-theorist/?sh=2ed589a51f9d |archive-date=November 21, 2020 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |work=Forbes}}{{Cite news |last=Bump |first=Philip |title=Here's how seriously you should take the Trump legal team's conspiracy theories |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/19/heres-how-seriously-you-should-take-trump-legal-teams-conspiracy-theories/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120033602/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/19/heres-how-seriously-you-should-take-trump-legal-teams-conspiracy-theories/ |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |access-date=November 20, 2020 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite news |last=Qiu |first=Linda |date=November 19, 2020 |title=How Sidney Powell inaccurately cited Venezuela's elections as evidence of U.S. fraud. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/technology/sidney-powell-venezuela.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119232027/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/technology/sidney-powell-venezuela.html |archive-date=November 19, 2020 |access-date=November 20, 2020 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} She also asserted that the CIA ignored warnings about the software, and urged Trump to fire director Gina Haspel.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/us/politics/trump-lawsuits-election.html|title=Trump's Legal Team Sets a Precedent for Lowering the Bar|first=Mark|last=Leibovich|date=November 20, 2020|work=The New York Times}} Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), characterized the supercomputer claim as "nonsense" and a "hoax".{{cite web|url=https://www.factcheck.org/2020/11/bogus-theory-claims-supercomputer-switched-votes-in-election/|title=Bogus Theory Claims Supercomputer Switched Votes in Election|first1=Angelo|last1=Fichera|first2=Saranac Hale|last2=Spencer|date=November 13, 2020|website=FactCheck.org|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115032246/https://www.factcheck.org/2020/11/bogus-theory-claims-supercomputer-switched-votes-in-election/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/top-officials-elections-most-secure-66f9361084ccbc461e3bbf42861057a5|title=Repudiating Trump, officials say election 'most secure'|date=November 13, 2020|website=AP NEWS|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115030026/https://apnews.com/article/top-officials-elections-most-secure-66f9361084ccbc461e3bbf42861057a5|url-status=live}} CISA described the 2020 election as "the most secure in American history", with "no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised".

In the wake of the election, Trump established a legal team to challenge the legitimacy of the results.{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/trump-legal-team-to-file-new-ballot-lawsuits|title=Trump legal team to file new ballot lawsuits|date=November 8, 2020|work=Fox News|access-date=November 14, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115005625/https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/trump-legal-team-to-file-new-ballot-lawsuits|url-status=live}} On November 14, Trump named Rudy Giuliani to lead the team, with Victoria Toensing, her husband Joseph diGenova, Jenna Ellis, and Powell as members of this team.{{cite tweet |last=Trump |first=Donald |author-link=Donald Trump |user=realDonaldTrump |number=1327811527123103746 |date=November 15, 2020 |title=I look forward to Mayor Giuliani spearheading the legal effort to defend OUR RIGHT to FREE and FAIR ELECTIONS! Rudy Giuliani, Joseph diGenova, Victoria Toensing, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis, a truly great team, added to our other wonderful lawyers and representatives! |language=en |access-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816010600/http://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1327811527123103746 |archive-date=August 16, 2022 |url-status=live}} The team proceeded to file numerous lawsuits in several states over alleged vote harvesting, illegal votes, machine errors, vote dumps, and late-counted votes. Precisely how Powell gained prominence in the legal team is unknown, even to some campaign officials. One official claimed Powell "simply showed up at headquarters".

Giuliani and Powell alleged multiple instances of voter fraud in key states at a November 19 press conference.{{Cite news|last=Blake|first=Aaron|date=November 20, 2020|title=The Trump campaign's much-hyped affidavit features a big, glaring error|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/20/trump-campaigns-much-hyped-affidavit-features-big-glaring-error/|url-status=live|access-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120171553/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/20/trump-campaigns-much-hyped-affidavit-features-big-glaring-error/|archive-date=November 20, 2020}} They cited an affidavit—filed by Russell Ramsland{{cite news |title=The making of a myth |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2021/trump-election-fraud-texas-businessman-ramsland-asog/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 9, 2021|author1=Emma Brown|author2=Aaron C. Davis|author3=Jon Swaine|author4=Josh Dawsey}} and L. Lin Wood on behalf of the Trump campaign{{cite web|title=Giuliani cites affidavit with crucial errors in press conference|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/nov/20/rudy-giuliani/giuliani-cites-affidavit-crucial-errors-press-conf/|access-date=November 23, 2020|website=PolitiFact|language=en-US}}—as evidence of manipulated results. In their comparison of votes cast against total voters registered in Michigan, Powell asserted that they found over-voting of "up to 350 percent in some places". However, the affidavit's conclusion was erroneous since it compared the Michigan vote tallies against population data from Minnesota (whose respective abbreviations are MI and MN, a possible source of the error).{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Jordan|date=November 20, 2020|title=Trump lawyers cited Minnesota counties in affidavit about Michigan: report|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/526926-trump-lawyers-cited-minnesota-counties-in-affidavit-about-michigan-report|access-date=November 23, 2020|website=The Hill|language=en}} When The Washington Post independently checked the numbers, no voter discrepancies were found. When questioned the next day, Wood described this as "a simple mistake" and said the affidavit "will be corrected if it hasn't been already".

After Giuliani's segment ended, Powell took the lectern and alleged, without evidence, that an international communist plot to rig the 2020 election had been engineered by Cuba, China, Venezuela, Hugo Chávez (who died in 2013), George Soros, the Clinton Foundation and antifa.{{cite web|url=https://politi.co/3kUvpS9|title=POLITICO Playbook PM: Rudy.|first1=Jake|last1=Sherman|first2=Anna|last2=Palmer|first3=Garrett|last3=Ross|first4=Eli|last4=Okun|website=POLITICO|date=November 19, 2020 |access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120033527/https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook-pm/2020/11/19/rudy-490945|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/article/who-is-sidney-powell.html|title=What We Know About Sidney Powell, the Lawyer Behind Wild Voting Conspiracy Theories|first1=Jeremy W.|last1=Peters|first2=Alan|last2=Feuer|work=The New York Times |date=December 8, 2020|via=NYTimes.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/19/fact-checking-craziest-news-conference-trump-presidency/|title=Analysis | Fact-checking the craziest news conference of the Trump presidency|first=Glenn|last=Kessler|via=www.washingtonpost.com}} She also alleged that Dominion Voting Systems "can set and run an algorithm that probably ran all over the country to take a certain percentage of votes from President Trump and flip them to President Biden".{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/19/politics/giuliani-trump-legal-team-press-briefing-fact-check/index.html|title=Fact checking Giuliani and the Trump legal team's wild, fact-free press conference|first1=Tara|last1=Subramaniam|first2=Holmes|last2=Lybrand|website=CNN|access-date=November 20, 2020|archive-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120015606/https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/19/politics/giuliani-trump-legal-team-press-briefing-fact-check/index.html|url-status=live}} The source for many of these claims appeared to be far right news organization One America News Network (OANN). She also repeated a conspiracy theory{{cite news|last=Darcy|first=Oliver|title=Company debunks conspiracy theory that its server showed a landslide for Trump|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/media/scytl-debunks-conspiracy-theory/index.html|access-date=November 23, 2020|website=CNN}}—spread by Congressman Louie Gohmert, OANN and others{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/technology/trump-allies-are-among-the-frequent-purveyors-of-election-misinformation.html|title=Trump allies are among the frequent purveyors of election misinformation.|first=Linda|last=Qiu|date=November 20, 2020|work=The New York Times}}—that election results showing a landslide victory for Trump had been transmitted to the German office of the Spanish electronic voting firm Scytl, after which a company server was supposedly seized in a raid by the United States Army. The US Army and Scytl refuted these claims;{{cite news|last1=Joffe-Block|first1=Jude|url=https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-afs:Content:9754011363|title=False reports claim election servers were seized in Germany|date=November 14, 2020|work=Associated Press|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115091412/https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-afs:Content:9754011363|url-status=live}} Scytl has not had any offices in Germany since September 2019 and does not tabulate US votes.{{cite web |title=Scytl strongly denies the false information related to the U.S. elections |url=https://www.scytl.com/en/fact-checking-regarding-us-elections-debunking-fake-news/ |website=Scytl |access-date=November 21, 2020 |date=November 13, 2020 |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120201610/https://www.scytl.com/en/fact-checking-regarding-us-elections-debunking-fake-news/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Roose |first1=Kevin |title=No, the Army didn't seize a German server showing a Trump landslide |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/technology/scytl-trump.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 21, 2020 |date=November 18, 2020 |archive-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121025922/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/technology/scytl-trump.html |url-status=live }} In a March 2021 report, the Justice and Homeland Security Departments flatly rejected accusations of voting fraud conducted by foreign nations.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/us/politics/election-interference-russia-2020-assessment.html|title=Russian Interference in 2020 Included Influencing Trump Associates, Report Says|first=Julian E.|last=Barnes|work=The New York Times |date=March 16, 2021|via=NYTimes.com}} Jonathan Karl, former ABC News chief White House correspondent for the duration of the Trump presidency, wrote in his November 2021 book, Betrayal, that Powell told Defense Department official Ezra Cohen-Watnick that CIA director Gina Haspel had been injured and detained in Germany while attempting to retrieve the alleged server and destroy the purported evidence. She asked Cohen-Watnick, who previously worked under Flynn in the government, to launch a special operations mission to physically seize Haspel and compel her to confess.{{cite news |last1=Steakin |first1=Will |title=Trump allies pressed Defense Department to help overturn election, new book says |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-allies-pressed-defense-department-overturn-election-book/story?id=81182008 |publisher=ABC News |date=November 16, 2021}}

Later on the evening of November 14, on his Fox News program Tucker Carlson Tonight, conservative commentator Carlson said he had invited Powell onto his show to provide proof of her allegations. After repeated requests, he said Powell became angry with him and said he should "stop contacting her." Carlson's team contacted other figures in the Trump campaign who said that Powell had not given them evidence of her allegations.{{cite web|last=Carlson|first=Tucker|date=November 19, 2020|title=Tucker Carlson: Time for Sidney Powell to show us her evidence|url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-rudy-giuliani-sidney-powell-election-fraud|access-date=November 23, 2020|website=Fox News|language=en-US}}

In an interview with Newsmax on November 21,{{cite web|date=November 22, 2020|title=Trump lawyer Sidney Powell says Georgia election lawsuit "will be biblical," suggests GOP governor helped Biden|url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-says-georgia-election-lawsuit-will-biblical-suggests-gop-governor-1549333|access-date=November 23, 2020|website=Newsweek|language=en}} Powell accused Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, of being "in on the Dominion scam" and suggested financial impropriety.{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=November 23, 2020|title=Trump campaign cuts ties with attorney Sidney Powell after bizarre election fraud claims|url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/23/trump-campaign-cuts-ties-with-attorney-sidney-powell-after-bizarre-election-claims|access-date=November 23, 2020|website=The Guardian|language=en}} Powell additionally alleged that fraud had cost Doug Collins the nonpartisan blanket primary against incumbent Kelly Loeffler in the Senate race in Georgia.{{cite news |last1=Haberman |first1=Maggie |last2=Feuer |first2=Alan |title=Trump Team Disavows Lawyer Who Peddled Conspiracy Theories on Voting |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/22/us/politics/sidney-powell-trump.html |access-date=November 26, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=November 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201123043554/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/22/us/politics/sidney-powell-trump.html |archive-date=November 23, 2020}} She also claimed the Democratic Party had used rigged Dominion machines to defeat Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary, and that Sanders learned of this but "sold out".{{cite web|url=https://www.mediaite.com/election-2020/trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-accuses-georgia-gov-brian-kemp-and-bernie-sanders-of-complicity-in-bonkers-voting-machine-conspiracy/|title=Sidney Powell Goes After Brian Kemp Over Election Conspiracy|date=November 22, 2020|publisher=Mediaite|access-date=November 22, 2020|archive-date=November 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122191809/https://www.mediaite.com/election-2020/trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-accuses-georgia-gov-brian-kemp-and-bernie-sanders-of-complicity-in-bonkers-voting-machine-conspiracy/|url-status=live}} She said she would "blow up" Georgia with a "biblical" court filing.{{Cite news|date=November 23, 2020|title=Sidney Powell: Trump team cuts ties with lawyer who peddled bizarre fraud claims|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55040756|access-date=November 24, 2020}} Powell suggested that candidates "paid to have the system rigged to work for them".{{cite news |last=Carney |first=Jordain |date=November 19, 2020 |title=Ernst: Trump lawyer claim that candidates pay to rig elections 'absolutely outrageous' |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/526798-ernst-trump-lawyer-claim-that-candidates-pay-to-rig-elections-absolutely |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120033548/https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/526798-ernst-trump-lawyer-claim-that-candidates-pay-to-rig-elections-absolutely |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |url-status=live |access-date=November 20, 2020 |newspaper=The Hill}} On the basis of these claims, Powell called for Republican-controlled state legislatures in swing states to disregard the election results and appoint a slate of "loyal" electors who would vote to re-elect Trump,{{cite web|last=Smith|first=David|date=November 21, 2020|title=Trump makes futile last stand to overturn results as Georgia certifies Biden win|url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/20/trump-michigan-republicans-election|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121060545/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/20/trump-michigan-republicans-election|archive-date=November 21, 2020|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=The Guardian|language=en}} based on authority supposedly resting in Article Two of the Constitution.{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1329549873516048387 |title=Sidney Powell: "The entire election, frankly, in all the swing states should be overturned and the legislatures should make sure that the electors are selected for Trump" |access-date=November 20, 2020 |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120033548/https://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1329549873516048387 |url-status=live }}

Giuliani and Ellis issued a November 22 statement that Powell was "practicing law on her own" and was not (or was no longer) a part of the Trump legal team.{{cite web|date=November 23, 2020|title=Trump campaign legal team distances itself from Powell|url=https://apnews.com/article/georgia-c74165d465cf28b5478a65bd267fde29|access-date=November 23, 2020|website=AP NEWS}}{{cite web|title=Trump legal team disavows association with lawyer Sidney Powell|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sidney-powell-trump-legal-team-disavows-association/|access-date=November 23, 2020|website=CBS News|date=November 23, 2020 |language=en-US}}{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/22/trump-campaign-sidney-powell-legal-439357|title=Trump campaign cuts Sidney Powell from president's legal team|website=POLITICO|date=November 22, 2020 }} According to The Washington Post, the Trump campaign cut ties with Powell because she was seen as harming Trump's broader legal efforts, and because Trump disliked the coverage she received from Tucker Carlson Tonight.{{Cite news|last1=Sonmez|first1=Felicia|last2=Dawsey|first2=Josh|date=November 22, 2020|title=Giuliani releases statement distancing Trump campaign from lawyer Sidney Powell|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/22/giuliani-releases-statement-distancing-trump-campaign-lawyer-sidney-powell/|access-date=November 22, 2020}} However, she continued to meet with the president in the White House.{{cite web |last=Wolfe |first=Jan |date=November 22, 2020 |title=Trump campaign says Sidney Powell not a member of legal team |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-powell-idUSKBN2820UB |work=Reuters}}{{Cite news |last=Bowden |first=John |date=November 22, 2020 |title=Giuliani distances Trump campaign from attorney Sidney Powell |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/527105-giuliani-distances-trump-campaign-from-sidney-powell |access-date=November 22, 2020 |newspaper=The Hill |language=en}}{{cite news |author=Kevin Liptak and Pamela Brown |title=Heated Oval Office meeting included talk of special counsel, martial law as Trump advisers clash |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/19/politics/trump-oval-office-meeting-special-counsel-martial-law/index.html |website=CNN}}{{Cite tweet |number=1341138750085206016 |user=maggieNYT |title=Four people briefed on events said Sidney Powell was back at the White House again today, for third time in four days. |author=Maggie Haberman |author-link=Maggie Haberman |date=December 21, 2020 |access-date=June 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425041435/https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1341138750085206016 |archive-date=April 25, 2021 |url-status=live}} Shortly after the announcement, her client Michael Flynn tweeted that Twitter had suspended her account for twelve hours, and that she agreed with the campaign's announcement and was "staying the course" to prove election fraud.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-powell-idUSKBN2820UB|title=Trump campaign parts ways with Powell after vote-switching claim|first=Jan|last=Wolfe|date=November 23, 2020|publisher=Reuters}}

On November 23, Fox executive Raj Shah informed his superiors that Fox staff had entreated numerous of its sources within Trump's administration "...to inform reporters that Powell offered no evidence for her claims and didn't speak for the president." Despite this, on November 24 she joined host Lou Dobbs to tell his viewers that in Arizona, "...there were 35,000 votes added to every Democrat candidate just to start their voting off. It's like getting your $500 of Monopoly money to begin with when you haven't done anything, and it was only for Democrats."

Dominion Voting Systems released a statement refuting Powell's fraud claims on November 26.{{Cite news|last1=Buchanan|first1=Christopher|date=November 27, 2020|title=Dominion Voting Systems responds to 'wild and reckless' claims by Sidney Powell on website|url=https://www.fox61.com/article/news/politics/elections/dominion-voting-systems-response-to-sidney-powell/85-af899a76-7a47-4d9c-8d1b-1a891dee2104|access-date=November 29, 2020|publisher=WTIC-TV|language=en-US}}

A draft executive order dated December 16 called for Trump to order a military seizure of voting machines and the appointment of a special counsel; when it surfaced a year later, it was not immediately clear who drafted it.{{cite news |last1=Woodruff Swan |first1=Betsy |date=January 21, 2022 |title=Read the never-issued Trump order that would have seized voting machines |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/21/read-the-never-issued-trump-order-that-would-have-seized-voting-machines-527572}} Trump ally Bernard Kerik testified to the January 6 committee that Michael Flynn associate Phil Waldron originated the idea of a military seizure of voting machines.{{cite news |last1=Woodruff Swan |first1=Betsy |date=January 24, 2022 |title=Kerik told Jan. 6 panel that former Army colonel came up with idea to seize voting machines |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/24/kerik-jan-6-voting-machines-00001552}}

Powell, who had previously called on the president to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces,{{cite web |date=December 19, 2020 |title=Trump sought to tap Sidney Powell as special counsel for election fraud |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/19/sidney-powell-trump-special-counsel-448694 |website=POLITICO}} joined an Oval Office meeting on December 18, with Giuliani, Flynn, and Pat Cipollone. There, Trump suggested naming Powell as a special counsel to investigate allegations of election fraud. Most Trump advisors opposed the idea, while Powell characterized them as quitters.{{Cite news|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|author-link1=Maggie Haberman|last2=Kanno-Youngs|first2=Zolan|author-link2=Zolan Kanno-Youngs|date=December 19, 2020|title=Trump Discussed Naming Campaign Lawyer as Special Counsel on Election Fraud|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/trump-discussed-naming-campaign-lawyer-as-special-counsel-on-election-fraud.html|access-date=December 19, 2020|issn=0362-4331}} The meeting was reportedly heated and included Flynn's proposal for the president to declare martial law.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/19/politics/trump-oval-office-meeting-special-counsel-martial-law/index.html|title=Heated Oval Office meeting included talk of special counsel, martial law as Trump advisers clash|author1=Kevin Liptak |author2= Pamela Brown|website=CNN}}{{Cite news |last=Blake |first=Aaron |date=2023-10-19 |title=Analysis {{!}} What could Sidney Powell testify to now that she's pleaded guilty? |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/19/sidney-powell-guilty-trump-fulton/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |issn=0190-8286 |quote='I think that it got to the point where the screaming was completely, completely out there,' Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann testified to the House Jan. 6 committee.}}

By December 2020 over 4,000 attorneys had signed an open letter asking bar disciplinary authorities to condemn and investigate Powell's behavior.{{cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/sidney-powell-dismiss-dominion-lawsuit-cf25a9bd-5aed-4908-959e-c5f9ea9aa425.html|title=Pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell moves to dismiss Dominion defamation suit|first=Shawna|last=Chen|website=Axios|date=March 22, 2021 }}

In May 2021, Powell continued to express the hope that the election result would be reversed. She spoke at a QAnon conference in Dallas over Memorial Day weekend, where she falsely asserted Trump "can simply be reinstated, that a new Inauguration Day is set", eliciting cheers from the crowd. The date for this was supposedly August 13, however this date passed and Trump was not reinstated.{{cite web| url = https://www.newsweek.com/sidney-powell-claims-trump-can-simply-reinstated-biden-told-leave-white-house-1596207| title = Sidney Powell Claims Trump 'Can Simply Be Reinstated,' Biden Told to Leave White House | last = Lemon| first = Jason | date = May 30, 2021 | website = newsweek.com | publisher = Newsweek| access-date = May 30, 2021}}{{cite web|last=Relman|first=Eliza|date=May 31, 2021|title=Ex-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell showed up to a QAnon conference in a biker vest and falsely claimed Trump could be 'reinstated' as president|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-tells-qanon-crowd-trump-can-be-reinstated-as-president-2021-5|access-date=June 1, 2021|website=Business Insider|language=en-US}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/01/politics/powell-trump-inauguration-fact-check/index.html|title=Fact check: No, Trump can't 'simply be reinstated' as president|author=Tara Subramaniam|website=CNN}}

Powell was subpoenaed in January 2022 to testify before the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.{{cite news |title=January 6 committee subpoenas Giuliani and 3 others |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/18/politics/rudy-giuliani-january-6-subpoena/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=January 18, 2022|author1=Zachary Cohen|author2=Annie Grayer}}{{cite letter |title=Letter to Sidney Powell |recipient = Sidney Powell|url=https://january6th.house.gov/sites/democrats.january6th.house.gov/files/2022-1-18.BGT%20Letter%20to%20Powell_Redacted.pdf |author=January 6 Committee |date=January 18, 2022}}

She sued to block release of her phone records.{{cite news|last=Murdock|first=Sebastian|date=February 19, 2022|title=Sidney Powell Sues To Block Subpoena By Jan. 6 Committee For Phone Records|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sidney-powell-sues-subpoena-capitol-riot-house-committee_n_6211147ae4b0f2c343f51669|access-date=February 21, 2022|work=HuffPost|language=en}}

While working for Trump, Powell stated she would "release the Kraken", a catchphrase from the 1981 film Clash of the Titans, and the expression spread across Twitter. After the Trump campaign cut ties with Powell, she continued to file independent election lawsuits in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin.{{cite news |last1=Brumback |first1=Kate |title=Sidney Powell unrelenting in legal battle on Trump's behalf |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-georgia-lawsuits-0ed38af7f94b596308475aa8b28c871c |access-date=December 24, 2020 |work=Associated Press |date=December 10, 2020}}

Sources described Powell's election-related filings as filled with significant "sloppy mistakes". In her Georgia lawsuit, she claimed that a computer algorithm took votes from Biden and flipped them to Trump, later amending the filing.{{cite news |last1=Breuninger |first1=Kevin |title=Sidney Powell amends court filing that mistakenly said Georgia votes were flipped from Biden to Trump |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/04/sidney-powell-amends-court-filing-that-said-georgia-votes-were-flipped-to-trump.html |access-date=December 5, 2020 |work=CNBC |date=December 4, 2020}} In Powell's submissions to district courts in Georgia and Michigan, district was misspelled three different ways on the first pages.{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |title=Trump allies' sloppy, error-riddled legal effort |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 4, 2020 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/03/trump-allies-sloppy-error-riddled-legal-effort/ |date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201203175750/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/03/trump-allies-sloppy-error-riddled-legal-effort/ |archive-date=December 3, 2020}} Powell's Michigan filing also had numerous formatting errors and misidentified one of her experts.{{cite news |last1=Aarons |first1=Tony |title=Ex-Trump Lawyer Sidney Powell Files Election Suits in '{{as written|DISTR|COICT}}' Court |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-26/ex-trump-lawyer-files-election-lawsuits-in-distrcoict-court |access-date=December 4, 2020 |work=Bloomberg News |date=November 26, 2020}} Two Republicans said they had been named as a plaintiff in the Georgia and Wisconsin lawsuits despite not having given permission to be included (although one later agreed to remain as a plaintiff).

Powell's lawsuits cited an anonymous witness, referred to as "Spyder" or "Spider", who alleged that American voting systems were "certainly compromised by rogue actors, such as Iran and China". Spyder's real name was redacted from submitted documents; however, a bookmark in the file revealed his identity to be Joshua Merritt, an IT consultant. Although Powell's filings describe Merritt as a former "military intelligence expert", the United States Army Intelligence Center stated that he never worked in military intelligence and had not finished a training course in military intelligence. Merritt acknowledged that the description was wrong and attributed the error to Powell's clerks. However, Merritt claimed he did finish the training, producing an "unofficial transcript" as evidence.{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Emma |last2=Davis |first2=Aaron |last3=Crites |first3=Alice |title=Sidney Powell's secret 'military intelligence expert,' key to fraud claims in election lawsuits, never worked in military intelligence |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/sidney-powell-spider-spyder-witness/2020/12/11/0cd567e6-3b2a-11eb-98c4-25dc9f4987e8_story.html |access-date=December 13, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 11, 2020}}

Powell also presented an affidavit from an individual she described as a former intelligence contractor with knowledge of a foreign conspiracy to subvert democracy, who Powell said needed to remain anonymous to protect their "reputation, professional career and personal safety". The Washington Post identified the individual as pro-Trump podcaster Terpsichore Maras-Lindeman, and that parts of the affidavit matched a blog post she had written in November 2019. Maras-Lindeman had served in the Navy for less than a year over two decades earlier, and in a November 2018 civil suit the attorney general of North Dakota accused her of misappropriating funds for personal use from a charitable event she tried to organize. State attorneys asserted that she exaggerated her credentials and used multiple aliases and Social Security numbers in "a persistent effort...to deceive others". Asked about Maras-Lindeman, Powell told the Post: "I don't have the same information you do."{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/sidney-powells-secret-intelligence-contractor-witness-is-a-pro-trump-podcaster/2020/12/24/d5a1ab9e-4403-11eb-a277-49a6d1f9dff1_story.html|title=Sidney Powell's secret intelligence contractor witness is a pro-Trump podcaster|first=Jon|last=Swaine|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}

Powell filed a federal lawsuit against Arizona governor Doug Ducey, Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs and other Arizona election officials on December 2, alleging that "poll watchers failed to adequately verify signatures on ballots, that Maricopa County ballot dispute referees were partisan, that Dominion backups had no chain of custody, and the Dominion machines themselves suffered from errors during state evaluations." The plaintiffs asked the court to decertify Arizona's election results or order that Arizona certify Trump electors.{{cite web|title=Bowyer v. Ducey|url=https://healthyelections-case-tracker.stanford.edu/detail?id=409|website=Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project}}{{cite web|title=Docket for Bowyer v. Ducey, 2:20-cv-02321|url=https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18707812/bowyer-v-ducey/|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=CourtListener|language=en-us}} On December 9, U.S. district judge Diane Humetewa dismissed the case due to plaintiffs' lack of legal standing, and ruled that the allegations of impropriety were "sorely wanting of relevant or reliable evidence", instead being "largely based on anonymous witnesses, hearsay, and irrelevant analysis of unrelated elections". The judge singled out the fraud allegations being put forth, writing that they "fail in their particularity and plausibility" and that there would be "extreme, and entirely unprecedented" harm to Arizona's more than 3 million voters to entertain Powell's lawsuit "at this late date".{{cite news |last1=Fischer |first1=Howard |title=Federal judge tosses last lawsuit that remained against Arizona's election results |url=https://tucson.com/news/local/federal-judge-tosses-last-lawsuit-that-remained-against-arizonas-election-results/article_e2e4ed09-f0f5-51db-992c-676483d116de.html |access-date=December 10, 2020 |work=Arizona Daily Star |agency=Capitol Media Services |date=December 9, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Billeaud |first1=Jacques |title=Powell trying to resurrect bid to undo Biden's Arizona win |url=https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-arizona-phoenix-lawsuits-b423468ac2233344275452679a59f165 |access-date=January 12, 2021 |work=Associated Press |date=December 10, 2020}} Powell filed an appeal of the lawsuit's dismissal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in December, which scheduled the due date for the opening brief to be two months after the inauguration. That month, Powell also filed an emergency petition with the United States Supreme Court seeking an extraordinary writ of mandamus for intervention in the case. The petition was denied without comment on March 1, 2021, ending the matter.{{cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/supreme-court/supreme-court-rejects-sidney-powells-election-fraud-petitions-without-further-comment/|title=Supreme Court Rejects Sidney Powell's Election Fraud Petitions without Further Comment|date=March 1, 2021}}

Powell and Lin Wood filed a lawsuit against Georgia governor Brian Kemp and other state officials on November 25, alleging that Dominion Voting Systems was used to rig votes for Biden. The plaintiffs asked the court to halt the certification of elections results and order Kemp to certify Trump as the winner in Georgia.{{Cite news|title=Trump supporters file lawsuit asking Georgia to decertify election, declare Trump the winner|language=en-US|website=WSBTV|url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/politics/trump-lawyers-file-suit-asking-georgia-de-certify-election-declare-trump-winner/I4EONEJXNVAUHKLKRTFGYXGHV4/|url-status=live|access-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128063916/https://www.wsbtv.com/news/politics/trump-lawyers-file-suit-asking-georgia-de-certify-election-declare-trump-winner/I4EONEJXNVAUHKLKRTFGYXGHV4/|archive-date=November 28, 2020}} U.S. district judge Timothy Batten issued a temporary restraining order on November 29 that voting machines in Georgia's Cobb, Gwinnett, and Cherokee counties were to preserve their data, after Wood had argued to retain "this information on a very limited basis". Powell appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to expand the restraining order. A three-judge panel unanimously dismissed Powell's appeal on December 4, citing a failure to prove that the restraining order caused serious harm. The panel also indicated that the original lawsuit, in which Powell also sought to have voting machines inspected, was "considerably delayed" by the appeal.{{cite news |last1=Gerstein |first1=Josh |title=Judge: 'Precious little proof' in Georgia election fraud suit |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/30/proof-georgia-election-fraud-case-441701 |access-date=December 5, 2020 |work=Politico |date=December 1, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Cheney |first1=Kyle |last2=Gerstein |first2=Josh |title=Donald Trump's brutal day in court |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/04/donald-trump-in-court-443010 |access-date=December 5, 2020 |work=Politico |date=December 4, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Larson |first1=Erik |title=Georgia Says Ex-Trump Lawyer Suit Could Hinder Senate Runoff |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-04/georgia-says-sidney-powell-s-lawsuit-could-hinder-senate-runoff |access-date=December 5, 2020 |work=Bloomberg News |date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201205070154/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-04/georgia-says-sidney-powell-s-lawsuit-could-hinder-senate-runoff |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |url-status=live }}

Powell's evidence in the Georgia lawsuit included an affidavit from Ron Watkins, a former administrator of 8chan/8kun, the online home of QAnon. In his affidavit, Watkins stated that his reading of an online user guide for Dominion Voting Systems software led him to conclude that election fraud might be "within the realm of possibility". Watkins did not provide any legitimate evidence of fraud.{{cite news |last1=Harwell |first1=Drew |title=To boost voter-fraud claims, Trump advocate Sidney Powell turns to unusual source: The longtime operator of QAnon's Internet home |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/01/powell-cites-qanon-watkins/ |access-date=December 2, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201202013516/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/01/powell-cites-qanon-watkins/ |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |url-status=live }} Powell also claimed that "a certificate from the [Georgia] Secretary of State was awarded to Dominion Voting Systems but is undated." However, the attached certificate had apparently been edited to remove the date; the actual certificate is dated and available publicly.{{cite news |last1=Montellaro |first1=Zach |last2=Cheney |first2=Kyle |title=Pro-Trump legal crusade peppered with bizarre blunders |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/03/sidney-powell-trump-election-lawsuit-442472 |access-date=December 3, 2020 |work=Politico |date=December 3, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Hohmann |first1=James |last2=Alfaro |first2=Mariana |title=The Daily 202: Trump's threat to veto NDAA follows pattern of tenuously invoking 'National Security' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/02/daily-202-trumps-threat-veto-ndaa-follows-pattern-tenuously-invoking-national-security/ |access-date=December 3, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201202224853/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/02/daily-202-trumps-threat-veto-ndaa-follows-pattern-tenuously-invoking-national-security/ |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |url-status=live }}

Batten dismissed the case in a ruling from the bench on December 7.{{cite news |last1=Fowler |first1=Stephen |title=Judge Finds 'Kraken' Election Challenge Lacking, Dismisses Lawsuit |url=https://www.gpb.org/news/2020/12/07/judge-finds-kraken-election-challenge-lacking-dismisses-lawsuit |access-date=December 8, 2020 |work=Georgia Public Broadcasting |date=December 7, 2020}} The judge ruled that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing to bring the case, filed the case too late (as the Dominion machines were adopted months earlier), and filed the case in the wrong venue, the appropriate venue being a state court.{{cite news |last1=Carr |first1=Nicole |title=Federal judge dismisses Sidney Powell lawsuit seeking to decertify Georgia's elections |url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/federal-judge-dismisses-sidney-powell-lawsuit-seeking-decertify-georgias-elections/N7Z5MDKYRJAIZKCPQAXXEEP35Q/ |access-date=December 10, 2020 |work=WSB-TV |date=December 7, 2020}} Batten also stated that the relief sought by Powell was impossible to grant.{{cite news |last1=Breuninger |first1=Kevin |last2=Mangan |first2=Dan |title=Federal judge dismisses Sidney Powell lawsuit that sought to overturn Trump loss in Georgia |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/07/judge-dismisses-sidney-powell-lawsuit-challenging-trump-georgia-loss.html |access-date=December 10, 2020 |work=CNBC |date=December 7, 2020}} The plaintiffs filed an appeal (Case No. 20-14579){{cite web|title=Court of Appeals Docket #: 20-14579|url=https://ecf.ca11.uscourts.gov/n/beam/servlet/TransportRoom?servlet=CaseSummary.jsp&caseNum=20-14579&incOrigDkt=Y&incDktEntries=Y|access-date=December 8, 2020}} of Batten's decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on December 8.{{cite web|last=Choi|first=Joseph|date=December 8, 2020|title=Sidney Powell appeals dismissal of lawsuit to overturn Georgia election result|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/529238-powell-appeals-dismissal-of-lawsuit-to-overturn-georgia-election-result|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208190842/https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/529238-powell-appeals-dismissal-of-lawsuit-to-overturn-georgia-election-result|archive-date=December 8, 2020|access-date=December 8, 2020|website=TheHill|language=en}} Powell also appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied a motion to expedite the case.{{cite news |last1=Stohr |first1=Greg |title=Ex-Trump Lawyer Asks Supreme Court to Nullify Two Biden Wins |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-16/ex-trump-lawyer-powell-asks-high-court-to-nullify-two-biden-wins |access-date=January 12, 2021 |work=Bloomberg News |date=December 15, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Durkee |first1=Alison |title=Supreme Court Refuses To Consider GOP Post-Election Cases Before Biden Takes Office |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/01/11/supreme-court-refuses-to-consider-gop-trump-post-election-cases-before-biden-takes-office/?sh=43cd52522fcb |access-date=January 12, 2021 |work=Forbes |date=January 11, 2021}} She dropped the lawsuit on January 19, 2021, one day before Biden's inauguration.{{cite news |last1=Durkee |first1=Alison |title=Sidney Powell Drops Georgia Kracken Lawsuit On Eve Of Biden's Inauguration |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/01/19/sidney-powell-drops-georgia-kracken-lawsuit-on-eve-of-bidens-inauguration/ |access-date=January 19, 2021 |work=Forbes |date=January 19, 2021}}

In August 2022, Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis sought to have Powell testify before a special grand jury seated for the investigation into possible illegal election interference. Powell was involved in arranging for the collection of data from election systems and voting machines at the county's elections office in rural Coffee County in January 2021.{{Cite news |date=August 26, 2022 |title=Trump election probe in Georgia cites voting system breach |url=https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-donald-trump-georgia-6c5483c82b47cf402136b39e72326309 |access-date=August 27, 2022 |work=AP News |language=en}}

On October 19, 2023, Powell pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor charges for her role in the attempt by the former president and his allies to alter the outcome of the election in the State of Georgia and other states. She was sentenced to serve six years' probation (one year for each charge) and pay a $6,000 fine, and agreed to testify against the other defendants.{{cite news |last1=Durkee |first1=Alison |title=Sidney Powell Pleads Guilty In Georgia Election Case |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/10/19/sidney-powell-pleads-guilty-in-georgia-election-case/ |work=Forbes |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Trump's ex-lawyer Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election case |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/19/sidney-powell-guilty-plea-trump-georgia-elections |work=The Guardian |date=October 19, 2023}}{{Cite news |date=October 19, 2023 |title=Sidney Powell pleads guilty in case over efforts to overturn Trump's Georgia loss and gets probation|url=https://apnews.com/article/sidney-powell-plea-deal-georgia-election-indictment-ec7dc601ad78d756643aa2544028e9f5 |access-date=October 19, 2023 |work=AP News |language=en}}

On October 31, 2023, the Georgia secretary of state's chief operating officer, Gabriel Sterling, displayed the final payment check from Powell at a press conference where he said that the check represented an admission that Powell's claims against Georgia's voting machines were false. He said, "If you didn't believe the three recounts, if you didn't believe the investigations, if you didn't believe the court cases, this check shows you she says, yes, I lied."{{cite news |last1=Gray |first1=Justin |title=Former Trump attorney, election denier Sidney Powell pays restitution to Ga. Secretary of State |url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/former-trump-attorney-election-denier-sidney-powell-pays-restitution-ga-secretary-state/FXW7ELKYPBBVJNBYQBTF5T3FDI/ |access-date=November 3, 2023 |work=WSB-TV |date=November 1, 2023}}

Powell filed a lawsuit against Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and other state officials on November 25, alleging a variety of violations of the election code and asking the court to decertify the state's election results or certify them for Trump.{{cite web|date=November 25, 2020|title=King v. Whitmer|url=https://defendingtherepublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Michigan-Complaint.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126053616/https://defendingtherepublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Michigan-Complaint.pdf|archive-date=November 26, 2020|access-date=November 25, 2020}}{{cite web|title=King v. Whitmer|url=https://healthyelections-case-tracker.stanford.edu/detail?id=410|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209163222/https://healthyelections-case-tracker.stanford.edu/detail?id=410|archive-date=December 9, 2020|access-date=December 9, 2020|website=Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project}} In the lawsuit, Powell submitted a witness's declaration that Joe Biden had "received more than 100% of the votes" in Edison County; however, there is no Edison County in Michigan or any other U.S. state.{{cite news |last1=Mikkelson |first1=David |title=Sidney Powell Lawsuit Cites Election Fraud in Non-Existent Michigan County |url=https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/12/01/sidney-powell-election-fraud/ |access-date=December 2, 2020 |work=Snopes |date=December 1, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Pierce |first1=Charles P. |title=Sidney Powell Is the Elite Legal Strike Force's Elite Legal Kraken Keeper Trump's legal eagle flies into Edison County, Michigan, which does not exist. |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a34838373/sidney-powell-trump-lawsuit-edison-county-michigan/ |access-date=December 2, 2020 |publisher=Esquire |date=December 1, 2020}} There is an Edison Township in Minnesota, leading to speculation that the information was again taken from a list of Minnesota precincts.{{cite news |last1=Halpert |first1=Madeline |last2=Oosting |first2=Jonathan |last3=Shaheen |first3=Mansur |title=Weeks after vote, 13 fake fraud claims persist in Michigan. Here's the truth. |url=https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/weeks-after-vote-13-fake-fraud-claims-persist-michigan-heres-truth |access-date=December 2, 2020 |publisher=Bridge Michigan |date=December 1, 2020}}

U.S. district judge Linda V. Parker denied the requested relief on December 7, stating that the plaintiffs had only offered "theories, conjecture, and speculation" of potential vote switching. The judge also declared that the "ship has sailed" for most of the relief requested by the plaintiffs, while the rest "is beyond the power of any court". Furthermore, Parker wrote that the relief requested would "greatly harm the public interest" and felt that the plaintiffs' motive for filing the case was not to win, but rather to shake "people's faith in the democratic process and their trust in our government".{{cite news |last1=Mauger |first1=Craig |title=Federal judge upholds Michigan election: 'The people have spoken' |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/07/federal-judge-upholds-michigan-election-the-people-have-spoken/3854998001 |access-date=December 8, 2020 |work=The Detroit News |date=December 7, 2020}} Powell has filed an appeal of the decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit,{{cite news |title=Fact check: Six Michigan areas did not have voter turnouts of more than 100% |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-michigan-voter-turnout-idUSKBN28R20M |access-date=December 24, 2020 |work=Reuters |date=December 17, 2020}} as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied a motion for expedited review of the case. The city of Detroit has called for sanctions against the plaintiffs in the case as well as their counsel, requesting that Powell and the other attorneys be disbarred for "trying to use this court's processes to validate their conspiracy theories".{{cite news |last1=Polus |first1=Sarah |title=Detroit asks federal judge to disbar 'Kraken' team that fought in court to overturn election results |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/532824-detroit-calls-on-federal-judge-to-disbar-kraken-team-that-fought-in-court-to |access-date=January 29, 2021 |work=The Hill |date=January 5, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=McEvoy |first1=Jemima |title=Detroit Files Request To Sanction, Potentially Disbar Sidney Powell And Other 'Kraken' Lawyers |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/01/06/detroit-files-request-to-sanction-potentially-disbar-sidney-powell-and-other-kraken-lawyers/?sh=2907e6435a24 |access-date=January 29, 2021 |work=Forbes |date=January 6, 2021}} Michigan attorney general Dana Nessel filed a similar motion on January 28, 2021, accusing Powell and three Michigan lawyers of violating their oaths by attempting to overturn Biden's victory.{{cite news |last1=Foster |first1=Wells |last2=Darling |first2=Tom |title=AG Nessel seeks sanctions on Sidney Powell, other lawyers over election lawsuits |url=https://www.wlns.com/news/ag-nessel-seeks-sanctions-on-sidney-powell-other-lawyers-over-election-lawsuits/ |access-date=January 29, 2021 |work=WLNS |date=January 28, 2021}} On February 1, 2021, Nessel, along with Michigan governor Whitmer and Michigan secretary of state Jocelyn Benson, filed complaints with the State Bar of Texas seeking Powell's disbarment.{{cite news |last1=Mauger |first1=Craig |last2=LeBlanc |first2=Beth |title=Whitmer, Nessel seek disbarment of lawyers in election challenge |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/01/whitmer-nessel-seek-disbarment-lawyers-election-challenge/4348375001//?sh=2907e6435a24 |access-date=January 29, 2021 |work=Detroit News |date=February 1, 2021}}

During a July 2021 hearing to consider sanctions against Powell and other attorneys for their activities in Michigan, Parker discussed the hundreds of pages of allegations by others that the attorneys had submitted to courts, which included an individual claiming to have witnessed poll workers changing votes from Trump to Biden. None of the attorneys responded when Parker asked if they had spoken to the witness to vet their allegation.{{cite news |last1=Helderman |first1=Rosalind |title='This is really fantastical': Federal judge in Michigan presses Trump-allied lawyers on 2020 election fraud claims in sanctions hearing |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sidney-powell-disciplinary-hearing/2021/07/12/61d44ac4-e0c9-11eb-9f54-7eee10b5fcd2_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 12, 2021}}

On August 25, 2021, Judge Parker ruled that Powell, L. Lin Wood, and seven other pro-Trump lawyers had filed the suit "in bad faith and for an improper purpose"; that their litigation was "a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process"; and that they had filed "baseless and frivolous lawsuits in order to undermine public confidence in the democratic process." The court ordered that they pay attorney's fees to the City of Detroit and State of Michigan to reimburse them for the costs of defending against the suit, and referred them to their respective state bars for investigation into ethical violations, which could lead to disbarment.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/25/politics/judge-sanctions-powell-wood-kraken-lawsuits/index.html|title=Judge sanctions pro-Trump lawyers who brought 'frivolous' election fraud lawsuits|last=Sneed|first=Tierney|date=August 25, 2021|work=CNN|access-date=August 25, 2021}}{{cite web |title= Civil Case No. 20-13134 |url=https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.350905/gov.uscourts.mied.350905.172.0_10.pdf }}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/us/politics/sidney-powell-election-sanctions.html |title=Judge Orders Sanctions Against Pro-Trump Lawyers Over Election Lawsuit |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Alan |last=Feuer |date=August 25, 2021 |access-date=March 18, 2023}}Jan Wolfe, [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/judge-sanctions-sidney-powell-other-pro-trump-lawyers-who-claimed-voter-fraud-2021-08-25/ 'Profound abuse': Judge disciplines pro-Trump lawyers over election lawsuit], Reuters (August 25, 2021).Alan Feuer, [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/us/politics/sidney-powell-election-sanctions.html Judge Orders Sanctions Against Pro-Trump Lawyers Over Election Lawsuit], New York Times (August 25, 2021).

On November 4, 2021, a closed-door investigatory hearing was held by the State Bar of Texas to begin the process of determining possible sanctions or disbarment for Powell.{{cite web|last1=Durkee|first1=Alison|title=Sidney Powell To Face Texas State Bar Investigation—Potentially Leading To Her Disbarment|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/08/26/sidney-powell-to-face-texas-state-bar-investigation-potentially-leading-to-her-disbarment/|website=Forbes|date=August 26, 2021}} On December 2, 2021, Judge Parker ordered Powell, Wood and the other "Kraken" attorneys to pay $175,250 to the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan.{{cite web|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2021/12/02/sidney-powell-team-ordered-pay-175-250-fees-michigan-case/8843056002/|title = Sidney Powell, team ordered to pay $175,250 in fees for Michigan election case}}

Powell filed a federal lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission on December 1, claiming that Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic were used to conduct electronic ballot-stuffing and rig votes for Joe Biden. The lawsuit asked the court to decertify the state's election results or declare Donald Trump the winner of the state.{{cite web|title=Complaint for Declaratory, Emergency, and Permanent Injunctive Relief|url=https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2020/12/Feehan-ED-WI-Lawsuit-Complaint1.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201233226/https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2020/12/Feehan-ED-WI-Lawsuit-Complaint1.pdf|archive-date=December 1, 2020|access-date=December 4, 2020|website=Democracy Docket}} The lawsuit mistakenly demanded the release of video footage from a voting center in Michigan and made erroneous references to the election in Georgia and the Georgia state legislature. U.S. district judge Pamela Pepper filed a December 2 order noting that while an "expedited" injunction was sought, the initial filings did not "indicate whether the plaintiffs are asking the court to act more quickly or why", and did not request a hearing or propose a briefing schedule. Pepper dismissed the case on December 9, writing that the "federal court has no authority or jurisdiction to grant the relief the remaining plaintiff seeks", and that the litigation on behalf of the plaintiff was "sometimes odd and often harried" and ultimately failed to establish why a federal case was appropriate. Pepper also repeatedly stated that the plaintiff did not have legal standing to bring the case and concluded that granting the relief would be unconstitutional.{{cite news |title=Election lawsuit involving La Crosse Co. GOP chair dismissed in federal court |url=https://wxow.com/2020/12/10/election-lawsuit-involving-la-crosse-co-gop-chair-dismissed/ |access-date=December 10, 2020 |work=WXOW |date=December 10, 2020}} Powell then applied for a writ of mandamus from the U.S. Supreme Court, which rejected her petition on March 1, 2021, to end the lawsuit; Powell said the court's decision "completes the implosion of each of our three branches of government into the rubble of a sinkhole of corruption".{{cite news |last1=Weigel |first1=David |title=The Trailer: Why Republicans keep running against trans rights |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/03/02/trailer-why-republicans-keep-running-against-trans-rights/ |access-date=March 6, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 3, 2021}}

Dominion Voting Systems sent a letter to Powell on December 16, 2020, demanding she publicly retract her baseless allegations about the company.{{cite letter

| first1 = Thomas A.

| last1 = Clare

| first2 = Megan L.

| last2 = Meier

| first3=

| last3=Clare Locke LLP

| publisher=Dominion Voting Systems

| recipient = Sidney Powell

| subject = Re: Defamatory Falsehoods About Dominion

| date = December 16, 2020

| url = https://www.dominionvoting.com/download/demand-letter-to-sidney-powell/?wpdmdl=68156&masterkey=5fdb7ac4ae729

| url-status = live

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201217154437/https://www.dominionvoting.com/download/demand-letter-to-sidney-powell/?wpdmdl=68156&masterkey=5fdb7ac4ae729

| archive-date = December 17, 2020

| language=en-us

| quote=Your false accusations about Dominion are defamatory per se and have exposed you, the entities you control, and the Trump Campaign to substantial legal risk for defamation. As a result of your false accusations, Dominion has suffered enormous harm, and its employees have been stalked, have been harassed, and have received death threats. For the safety of Dominion's employees and for the sake of the truth and confidence in American democracy, we demand that you immediately and publicly retract your false accusations and set the record straight. If you refuse to do so and instead choose to stand by your defamatory falsehoods, that will be viewed as additional evidence of actual malice.

}} Shortly thereafter, the Trump legal team instructed dozens of staff members to preserve all documents relating to Dominion, Powell and others for any future litigation.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/19/politics/trump-campaign-sidney-powell-dominion-voting-systems/index.html|title=Trump campaign told to preserve all documents related to Sidney Powell and Dominion Voting Systems|author=Kaitlan Collins, Kevin Liptak and Pamela Brown|website=CNN}} Smartmatic sent a similar demand letter to conservative television outlets and within days Fox News, its sister network Fox Business, as well as Newsmax broadcast segments walking back conspiracy allegations they had previously promoted.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2020/12/19/lou-dobbs-debunk-fact-check-smartmatic/|title=Lou Dobbs debunks his own claims of election fraud — after a legal demand from Smartmatic|first=Jeremy|last=Barr|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2020/12/21/newsmax-clarification-smartmatic/|title=Newsmax issues sweeping 'clarification' debunking its own coverage of election misinformation|first=Jeremy|last=Barr|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/maria-bartiromo-airs-same-fact-check-of-election-conspiracies-as-fox-colleagues-adds-we-will-keep-investigating/|title=Maria Bartiromo Airs Fact-Check, Adds 'We Will Keep Investigating'|date=December 20, 2020}}

On January 8, 2021, Dominion sued Powell for defamation and asked for over $1.3 billion in damages.{{Cite news |last=Feuer |first=Alan |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Dominion Voting Systems files defamation lawsuit against pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/us/politics/dominion-voting-systems-files-defamation-lawsuit-against-pro-trump-attorney-sidney-powell.html |access-date=January 14, 2021 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |last=Naham |first=Matt |date=December 17, 2020 |title=Days After Smartmatic's Legal Threat, Dominion Voting Systems Follows Suit with Demand Letter to Sidney Powell |url=https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/days-after-smartmatics-legal-threat-dominion-voting-systems-follows-suit-with-demand-letter-to-sidney-powell/ |access-date=February 2, 2021 |website=Law & Crime}}{{Cite news|last=Brown|first=Emma|date=January 8, 2021|title=Dominion sues pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, seeking more than $1.3 billion|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dominion-sues-pro-trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-seeking-more-than-13-billion/2021/01/08/ebe5dbe0-5106-11eb-b96e-0e54447b23a1_story.html|access-date=January 9, 2021}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/11/politics/defamation-lawsuits-sidney-powell-rudy-giuliani-mike-lindell/index.html|title=Judge allows defamation lawsuits against Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani and MyPillow CEO to go forward|first=Katelyn|last=Polantz|website=CNN|date=August 11, 2021}} On February 4, 2021, Smartmatic filed a defamation lawsuit that accused Powell, Fox News, some hosts at Fox News, and Rudy Giuliani of engaging in a "disinformation campaign" against the company, and asked for $2.7 billion in damages.{{Cite news |last=Feuer |first=Alan |date=January 8, 2021 |title=Dominion Voting Systems files defamation lawsuit against pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/us/politics/dominion-voting-systems-files-defamation-lawsuit-against-pro-trump-attorney-sidney-powell.html |access-date=January 14, 2021 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |last=Naham |first=Matt |date=December 17, 2020 |title=Days After Smartmatic's Legal Threat, Dominion Voting Systems Follows Suit with Demand Letter to Sidney Powell |url=https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/days-after-smartmatics-legal-threat-dominion-voting-systems-follows-suit-with-demand-letter-to-sidney-powell/ |access-date=February 2, 2021 |website=Law & Crime}}{{cite news|last=Darcy|first=Oliver|date=February 4, 2021|title=Voting technology company Smartmatic files $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell over 'disinformation campaign'|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/media/smartmatic-fox-news-giuliani-powell-lawsuit/index.html|access-date=February 5, 2021|website=CNN}}{{cite news |last1=Coster |first1=Helen |title=Smartmatic sues Fox News, Giuliani over election-rigging claims |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-smartmatic-lawsuit-fox-corp-idUSKBN2A42JO |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=Reuters |date=February 5, 2021}} In March 2022 a New York State Supreme Court judge dismissed the Smartmatic allegations against Powell on jurisdictional grounds;{{cite news |last1=Stempel |first1=Jonathan |title=Smartmatic can pursue election-rigging claims against Fox News, Giuliani |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/smartmatic-can-pursue-election-rigging-claims-against-fox-news-giuliani-2022-03-08/ |publisher=Reuters |date=March 8, 2022}} however, the company had already filed a second lawsuit in Washington, D.C. in anticipation of the New York ruling.{{cite web |author-first=Jacob |author-last=Shamsian |date=March 10, 2022 |title=Smartmatic says it's continuing to press its defamation lawsuit against Sidney Powell after a judge dismissed the case |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/smartmatic-continues-sidney-powell-defamation-lawsuit-2022-3 |website=Business Insider }}

On March 22, 2021, lawyers defending Powell against Dominion's lawsuit filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. They argued that "no reasonable person would conclude that the statements [by Powell about the 2020 election] were truly statements of fact". Instead, "it was clear to reasonable persons that Powell's claims were her opinions and legal theories", argued the lawyers.{{cite news |last1=Thomsen |first1=Jacqueline |title=Facing Defamation, Sidney Powell Says 'No Reasonable Person' Thought Her Election Fraud Claims Were Fact |url=https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2021/03/22/facing-defamation-sidney-powell-says-no-reasonable-person-thought-her-election-fraud-claims-were-fact/?slreturn=20210223032256 |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=The National Law Journal |date=March 22, 2021}} Furthermore, the lawyers claimed that Dominion could not prove that Powell took action with "actual malice", because "she believed the allegations then and she believes them now".{{cite news |last1=Tillman |first1=Zoe |title=Sidney Powell Now Argues "No Reasonable Person" Would Believe Her Voter Fraud Lies Were "Fact" |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-dominion-lawsuit |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=Buzzfeed News |date=March 22, 2021}} On August 11, 2021, Judge Carl Nichols denied this motion to dismiss the lawsuit. A scheduling order filed March 1, 2022, for Dominion's suit against Powell and parallel lawsuits against Rudy Giuliani and My Pillow, Inc., calls for depositions and pretrial motions through September 2023.{{cite web |url=https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.226485/gov.uscourts.dcd.226485.47.0.pdf |title=Scheduling Order |author= |date=March 1, 2022 |publisher=United States District Court for the District of Columbia |access-date=May 1, 2023 }}

Venezuelan businessman Majed Khalil sued Powell, Fox News, and Lou Dobbs for $250 million in December 2021, alleging they had falsely implicated him in rigging Dominion and Smartmatic machines.{{cite news |last1=Shamsian |first1=Jacob |title=Venezuelan man files $250 million lawsuit against Fox News and Sidney Powell after baseless accusations that he rigged 2020 election results |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/venezuelan-man-sues-fox-news-sidney-powell-for-conspiracy-theories-2021-12 |work=Business Insider |date=December 28, 2021}} The lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount in April 2023.{{cite news |last1=Farrell |first1=Maureen |title=Fox News Settles Defamation Case With Venezuelan Businessman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/business/fox-news-venezuela-dominion.html|work=New York Times |date=April 9, 2023}}

Powell has been described by some sources as a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theory,{{cite web|last=Porter|first=Tom|title=An attorney leading Trump's attempt to subvert the election results is a longtime QAnon supporter|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-election-lawyer-sidney-powell-is-longtime-qanon-supporter-2020-11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120191010/https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-election-lawyer-sidney-powell-is-longtime-qanon-supporter-2020-11|archive-date=November 20, 2020|access-date=November 20, 2020|website=Business Insider}}{{cite web|last=Gilbert|first=David|date=November 20, 2020|title=Trump's Lawyer Sidney Powell Is Hardcore QAnon|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/trumps-lawyer-sidney-powell-is-hardcore-qanon/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120175449/https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8n8w/trumps-lawyer-sidney-powell-is-hardcore-qanon|archive-date=November 20, 2020|access-date=November 20, 2020|website=Vice|language=en}} a far-right conspiracy theory which alleges that a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against former president Donald Trump, who is fighting the cabal.{{cite news|last=Roose|first=Kevin|date=August 28, 2020|title=What Is QAnon, the Viral Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html|access-date=October 4, 2020|website=The New York Times|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922192821/https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html|url-status=live}} In January 2020, Powell denied knowledge of QAnon or Q; later that year, she retweeted major QAnon accounts and catchphrases and appeared on QAnon shows on YouTube. Upon leaving Trump's legal team, Powell was embraced by QAnon followers, many of whom had become discouraged that years of predictions of a Trump landslide victory and coming revelations about his enemies had not materialized.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/24/business/sidney-powell-qanon/index.html|title=Sidney Powell is a beacon of hope to sad Qanon supporters|first=Donie|last=O'Sullivan|website=CNN}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/release-the-kraken-a-catchphrase-for-unfounded-conspiracy-theory-trends-on-twitter.html|title='Release the Kraken,' a catchphrase for unfounded conspiracy theory, trends on Twitter.|first=Davey|last=Alba|author-link=Davey Alba|date=November 17, 2020|work=The New York Times}}

On January 8, 2021, Twitter permanently suspended the accounts of Powell, Michael Flynn and others. A statement from Twitter said this development was in line with their policies on "coordinated harmful activity".{{cite news|last1=Collins|first1=Ben|last2=Zadrozny|first2=Brandy|author-link2=Brandy Zadrozny|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-bans-michael-flynn-sidney-powell-qanon-account-purge-n1253550|title=Twitter bans Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell in QAnon account purge|work=NBC News|date=January 8, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021}}

In May 2021, Powell (alongside Lin Wood and Michael Flynn) was a keynote speaker at what was essentially a QAnon conference in Dallas, Texas.{{cite web|last=Palmer|first=Ewan|date=April 7, 2021|title=QAnon couple are behind 3-day Dallas event billing Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell|url=https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-memorial-weekend-dallas-texas-1581539|access-date=October 25, 2021|website=Newsweek|language=en}}

On March 1, 2022, the State Bar of Texas's Commission for Lawyer Discipline submitted in court a disciplinary petition against Powell{{cite web |url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21399082-powell-disciplinary-petition |title=Commission for Lawyer Discipline |publisher=District Court of Dallas County, Texas |date=March 1, 2022 |website=DocumentCloud |access-date=February 27, 2023}} alleging that she had violated several rules of professional conduct, such as those about making false statements to a tribunal, using evidence known to be false, and engaging in dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.{{cite news |last=Sneed|first=Tierney|date=March 10, 2022 |title=Inside the effort to disbar attorneys who backed bogus election lawsuits |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/10/politics/ethics-complaints-attorney-misconduct-trump-election-reversal/index.html |work=CNN|access-date=February 27, 2023}}{{cite web |first=Krista M. |last=Torralva |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2022/06/22/case-to-rebuke-sidney-powell-for-pushing-donald-trumps-election-narrative-to-continue/ |title=Case to rebuke Sidney Powell for pushing Donald Trump's election narrative to continue |publisher=Dallasnews.com |date=June 22, 2022 |access-date=June 24, 2022}} On February 23, 2023, Judge Andrea Bouressa of the 471st District Court dismissed the petition, on the grounds of the commission failing to meet the burden of proof that Powell had indeed violated Texas's attorney code of conduct. In her decision, the judge also admonished the commission for not "properly labeling" the exhibits in its filing, which led to the consideration of only two of them.{{cite news |last=Sneed|first=Tierney |date=February 24, 2023|title=Judge tosses out disciplinary action against Sidney Powell for work on Trump election reversal bid|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/23/politics/sidney-powell-disciplinary-action-tossed/index.html?dicbo=v2-0i8pyrv|work=CNN |access-date=February 27, 2023}}

In November 2020, Powell established Legal Defense Fund for the American Republic, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization with stated purpose to collect funds to help prosecute fraud in U.S. elections.{{cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/2020-elections/2020/11/michael-flynns-lawyer-wants-to-raise-millions-of-dollars-to-overturn-the-election|title=Michael Flynn's Lawyer Wants to Raise "Millions of Dollars" to Overturn the Election|last1=Friedman|first1=Dan|date=November 17, 2020|access-date=November 23, 2020|work=Mother Jones}}

Powell launched Restore the Republic, a super PAC, in January 2021.{{cite news |last1=Reimann |first1=Nicholas |title=Sidney Powell Has Started A Super PAC |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/01/22/sidney-powell-has-started-a-super-pac/ |access-date=January 24, 2021 |work=Forbes |date=January 22, 2021}} In November 2021, The Washington Post reported that the preceding September federal prosecutors had issued a subpoena for the financial records of groups Powell had formed, including Defending the Republic, which was registered as a social welfare organization, and a political action committee by the same name. Days after the election, Powell created a website to raise funds for her new organization, referring to "Sidney Powell's Legal Defense Fund," asking donors to make checks payable to her law firm.{{cite news |title=Prosecutors demanded records of Sidney Powell's fundraising groups as part of criminal probe |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/11/30/sidney-powell-defend-the-republic-criminal-probe/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 30, 2021|author1=Isaac Stanley-Becker|author2=Emma Brown|author3=Rosalind S. Helderman}}{{cite news |title=Company: Ex-Trump lawyer raiding nonprofit for personal use |url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-lifestyle-election-2020-business-government-and-politics-d50cc5f0240279800f7053797a12b2d1 |work=Associated Press |date=May 15, 2021|author=Michael Kunselman}} The Daily Beast reported that the organization's board of directors initially included Michael Flynn and Lin Wood, and Patrick Byrne as CEO. All left the organization in April 2021 after Powell refused to allow it to be audited. In a recorded phone call with Wood that Byrne confirmed as authentic, Byrne asserted Powell was diverting donations to pay for her legal defense against defamation lawsuits.{{cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/feds-are-asking-questions-about-sidney-powell-and-her-pro-trump-group|title=Feds Are Asking Questions About Sidney Powell and Her Pro-Trump Group|author1=Adam Rawnsley|author2=Asawin Suebsaeng|author3=Will Sommer|date=November 30, 2021|work=The Daily Beast}} Defending the Republic raised $16.4 million in the year following the election.{{cite news |title=Sidney Powell group raised more than $14 million spreading election falsehoods |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/sidney-powell-defending-republic-donations/2021/12/06/61bdb004-53ef-11ec-8769-2f4ecdf7a2ad_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 6, 2021|author1=Emma Brown|author2=Rosalind S. Helderman|author3=Isaac Stanley-Becker|author4=Josh Dawsey }}{{Cite news |last1=Swaine |first1=Jon |last2=Brown |first2=Emma |date=October 14, 2022 |title=Sidney Powell's nonprofit raised $16 million as she spread election falsehoods |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/10/14/sidney-powell-defending-republic-tax-filings/ |access-date=October 17, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}} The group spent millions to fund the legal defense of the January 6 defendants; its expenditures, as well as reduced donations, substantially reduced DTR's cash on hand, but it still has more than $5 million as of November 2022.Jack Newsham, [https://www.businessinsider.com/sidney-powell-disbarred-guilty-plea-dark-money-2023-10 Sidney Powell could finally be disbarred after pleading guilty, but she has a dark money org to fall back on], Insider (October 19, 2023). As a dark money group, Defending the Republic is not required to disclose its donors.

As part of the prosecution of Donald Trump in Georgia, on August 14, 2023, she was indicted by a grand jury for violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) statute along with 18 other alleged co-conspirators, including Trump himself. She was also charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud; and one count of each of the following conspiracies to commit: computer theft, computer trespass, computer invasion of privacy, and defraud the state—for a total of seven felony counts.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/1ccdf52e-1ba2-434c-93f8-2a7020293967.pdf |title=The People of the State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump, et al. |date=August 14, 2023 |publisher=Fulton County Superior Court |via=The Washington Post |access-date=August 14, 2023}}{{Cite web |last1=Cole |first1=Devan |last2=Murray |first2=Sara |last3=Morris |first3=Jason |last4=Cohen |first4=Marshall |date=August 14, 2023 |title=Here are the names and titles of all 19 people charged in Georgia case |url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-fulton-county-georgia-08-14-23/h_c519d109a844b5c9932d605662e9066d |access-date=August 14, 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}} Powell turned herself in at the Fulton County jail on August 23, 2023.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Ella |title=Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell surrenders in Georgia election case |url=https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4166380-trump-campaign-attorney-sidney-powell-granted-100k-bond-in-georgia/ |access-date=August 23, 2023 |work=The Hill |date=August 23, 2023}}

On October 19, 2023, Powell pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts related to her role in Trump's attempts to overturn the election and her own role in breaching electoral equipment security in Coffee County, Georgia. She agreed to a sentence of six years' probation, a $6,000 fine and $2,700 in restitution, and to write a letter of apology to the people of Georgia.{{cite news |last1=Fausset|first1=Richard |last2=Hakim| first2=Danny|title=Sidney Powell Pleads Guilty in Georgia Trump Case |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/us/sidney-powell-pleads-guilty-in-georgia-trump-case.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=October 19, 2023}} She will also testify in other cases.{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Marshall |title=Trump attorney Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/19/politics/sidney-powell-fulton-county-georgia-2020-election-subversion/index.html |work=CNN |date=October 19, 2023 |language=en}} Within a week, Trump claimed that Powell was "not my attorney, and never was", despite his November 2020 Twitter statement that "Sidney Powell ... [has been] added to our other wonderful lawyers and representatives".{{cite news |last1=Medsger |first1=Matthew |title=Trump denies 'Kraken' lawyer Sidney Powell ever worked for him |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/10/22/trump-denies-kraken-lawyer-sidney-powell-ever-worked-for-him/ |access-date=October 23, 2023 |work=Boston Herald |date=October 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231023094140/https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/10/22/trump-denies-kraken-lawyer-sidney-powell-ever-worked-for-him/ |archive-date=October 23, 2023}}

Powell's guilty plea was generally analyzed in American news media as a major victory for prosecutors against Trump and his associates. The New York Times' Alan Feuer and Maggie Haberman noted Powell as the first time that prosecutors collaborated with a major co-conspirator of Trump's attempts to overturn the election. Both also noted the potential for Powell's guilty plea to legitimize other criminal charges against other figures involved in both Georgia's racketeering cases and Jack Smith's federal charges against Trump and his associates.{{Cite news |last1=Feurer |first1=Alan |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |date=2022-10-19 |title=Sidney Powell's Plea Deal Could Be a Threat to Trump |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/us/politics/sidney-powell-donald-trump-plea-deal.html}} The Atlantic echoed these concerns, with journalist David A. Graham comparing the relationship between Powell's plea and the other figures charged in the Georgia racketeering case to the prisoner's dilemma.{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=David A. |date=2023-10-19 |title=What Sidney Powell's Deal Could Mean for the Fulton County Case Against Trump |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/sidney-powell-guilty-plea-trump-fulton-county-case/675698/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}} Likewise, CNN analyst Marshall Cohen viewed the Powell plea as having the potential to incriminate anyone who worked with Powell during the attempts to overturn the election, though Cohen said that the plea deal in Georgia could open up Powell to prosecution by Jack Smith and a potential second plea deal with him, where she is alluded to as an unindicted co-conspirator.{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Marshall |date=2023-10-19 |title=How Sidney Powell's guilty plea may impact Donald Trump |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/19/politics/sidney-powell-plea-takeaways/index.html |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=CNN |language=en}} Alternatively, PBS News Georgia correspondent Stephen Fowler said Powell's testimony was potentially unreliable, and cited Trump's lawyer's assertion that Powell's testimony would exonerate the former president.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-19 |title=What Sidney Powell's guilty plea means for Trump in his Georgia election subversion case |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-sidney-powells-guilty-plea-means-for-trump-in-his-georgia-election-subversion-case |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}

Powell has written opinion pieces for The New York Observer, The Daily Caller, The Hill, National Review,{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/author/sidney-powell/|title=Sidney Powell|work=National Review|access-date=November 23, 2020}} Fox News, and media organizations and conservative content producers.{{cite web|url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/11/16/who-is-sidney-powell|title=Who is Sidney Powell?|last=Mustafa |first=Filiz |work=HITC|date=November 16, 2020 |access-date=November 20, 2020|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117002627/https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/11/16/who-is-sidney-powell/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://observer.com/author/sidney-powell|title=Sidney Powell|work=Observer|access-date=November 14, 2020|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114223434/https://observer.com/author/sidney-powell/|url-status=live}} She has written two published books:

• {{Cite book|last1=Powell|first1=Sidney K.|date=May 1, 2014|title=Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice|isbn=978-1-61254-149-5|publisher=Brown Books|oclc=870288205}}{{cite web|date=April 29, 2014|title=Review of Licensed to Lie|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sidney-powell/licensed-to-lie/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526053542/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sidney-powell/licensed-to-lie/|archive-date=May 26, 2020|access-date=November 20, 2020|website=Kirkus Reviews}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Powell|first1=Sidney K.|last2=Silverglate|first2=Harvey A.|author-link2=Harvey Silverglate|title=Conviction Machine: Standing Up to Federal Prosecutorial Abuse|isbn=978-1-59403-803-7|publisher=Encounter Books|date=February 18, 2020|oclc=1104857327}}

In addition, she has published several journal articles on law practice. Examples include:

• {{cite journal|last=Powell|first=Sidney|title=Federal Jurisdiction in Criminal Appeals—Appealable Orders in the Fifth Circuit|journal=Texas Tech Law Review|volume=19|issue=3|pages=1003–1028|date=1988|url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/text19&i=1017|url-access=subscription}}
• {{cite journal|last=Powell|first=Sidney|title=Federal Appeals in the Fifth Circuit: Tips for the Texas Practitioner|journal=Baylor Law Review|volume=42|issue=1|pages=97–140|date=1990|url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/baylr42&i=121|url-access=subscription}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Gabriel|first1=Henry D|title=Federal Appellate Practice Guide: Fifth Circuit|last2=Powell|first2=Sidney|publisher=Lawyers Cooperative Publishing|year=1994|location=Rochester, New York|language=en|oclc=30772185}}

Powell has a son from a marriage that ended in divorce "decades ago". In 2004, she founded a non-profit for victims of domestic violence. She has participated in volunteer work for women's shelters and other charities. Powell was not recalled as "being a staunch conservative or even very political" by people who interacted with her in those organizations. Powell served as executive producer on the 2013 drama Decoding Annie Parker, providing guidance to help bring the film to a commercial release. The film tells the story of Annie Parker{{cite magazine|url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/05/02/decoding-annie-parker/|title=Meet the woman behind 'Decoding Annie Parker'|first=Samantha|last=Highfill|date=May 2, 2014|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=December 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227190833/http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/05/02/decoding-annie-parker/|url-status=live}} and the discovery of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene. Powell oversaw fundraising screenings for the film that raised approximately $1 million for breast cancer charities.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/samantha-morton-helen-hunts-decoding-annie-parker-gets-u-s-distribution-exclusive-1200919748|title=Samantha Morton-Helen Hunt's 'Decoding Annie Parker' Gets U.S. Distribution|author=McNary, Dave|work=Variety|date=December 4, 2013|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=August 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817204122/https://variety.com/2013/film/news/samantha-morton-helen-hunts-decoding-annie-parker-gets-u-s-distribution-exclusive-1200919748/|url-status=live}}

• List of alleged Georgia election racketeers
• List of federal political scandals in the United States

{{reflist|30em}}

{{commons category}}

• {{Official website}}
• {{C-SPAN}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Sidney}}

Category:1955 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century American lawyers

Category:20th-century American women writers

Category:21st-century American criminals

Category:21st-century American lawyers

Category:21st-century American women writers

Category:American conspiracy theorists

Category:American political writers

Category:Donald Trump attorneys

Category:Lawyers from Dallas

Category:Lawyers from Raleigh, North Carolina

Category:Needham B. Broughton High School alumni

Category:People associated with the 2020 United States presidential election

Category:People from Durham, North Carolina

Category:Texas Republicans

Category:The State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump, et al. defendants

Category:University of North Carolina alumni

Category:University of North Carolina School of Law alumni

Category:Writers from North Carolina