By Just Another Friendly Occupier

Once a rising legal star and a loud voice in Donald Trump’s post-2020 election circus, Sidney Powell has fallen hard. Once promoted as a truth-teller exposing mass fraud, Powell now finds herself shackled not to truth—but to her own legal contradictions. Her fantasies about hacked machines, secret plots, and Venezuelan software weren’t just lies—they were lucrative ones. And Elon Musk’s platform helped her sell them.

Powell’s central role in spreading election lies through platforms like Twitter, Newsmax, and OANN helped lay the groundwork for the January 6 insurrection. In her now-infamous “release the Kraken” moment, Powell stoked chaos with unsubstantiated claims. Her lawsuits were quickly tossed, but the damage was done—confidence in American elections took a hit that still reverberates today (Lichtblau, 2021).

Now, Powell faces the consequences. After being indicted alongside Trump in Georgia for efforts to overturn the election, she took a plea deal, admitting to six counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with election duties (Jacobs, 2023). She will cooperate with prosecutors, a remarkable fall from grace for someone who once claimed the American presidency had been stolen.

What’s more, Powell is still battling civil suits from Dominion and Smartmatic, companies she falsely accused of rigging the election. Dominion’s $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against her remains pending (Totenberg, 2023). Her legal defense? That “no reasonable person” would have believed her. A damning claim for someone who had millions listening—amplified by the likes of Elon Musk.

Under Musk’s chaotic leadership, Twitter (now X) has restored accounts like Powell’s while throttling journalists, researchers, and legitimate election defenders. The megaphone of disinformation remains loud. And Powell’s case is a clear reminder: lies, even profitable ones, eventually come with a cost.

References (APA):

Jacobs, J. (2023, October 19). Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/us/politics/sidney-powell-guilty-plea.html

Lichtblau, E. (2021, March 16). The Legal Reckoning Awaiting Sidney Powell. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/03/legal-reckoning-awaiting-sidney-powell/618305/

Totenberg, N. (2023, April 19). Dominion’s defamation suits march on. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/19/1170854154/dominion-smartmatic-lawsuits