Who could flip on Donald Trump? Assessing the likely candidates

Speculation has continued to mount that some of the defendants charged in the 2020 election interference case in Georgia may end up flipping and testifying against Donald Trump.

The former president was indicted along with 18 other people as part of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis‘ expansive investigation on Monday.

Each defendant was charged under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a statute in which prosecutors can group numerous suspects together for having committed multiple crimes while aiming for a common goal.

While there is no indication that any of the 18 co-defendants have flipped against Trump, who denies the allegations against him, there remain talks that such an occurrence could happen between now and the potentially major RICO trial taking place.

“Charging co-defendants or co-conspirators in an indictment puts more pressure on them to flip on the target of your investigation, which in this case is Trump,” Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and President of West Coast Trial Lawyers, previously told Newsweek.

“Willis’ indictment…is a kitchen-sink approach, charging almost everyone, hoping that some will flip on the former president,” Rahmani added. “In Willis’ case, I would be surprised if we get to trial before 2025. There are way too many defendants, and her delay in bringing charges likely puts her case fourth in line.”

Mark Meadows

Meadows is Trump’s former White House chief of staff who is one of the 18 other defendants charged in Willis’ probe.

Meadows has already faced speculation that he flipped on Trump as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith‘s federal investigation into the former president’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. It was reported earlier in the year that Meadows was no longer in frequent communication with Trump despite being considered a key figure in Smith’s probe.

Meadows was also not one of the six co-conspirators listed in the federal indictment against Trump, in which the former president later pleaded not guilty to four charges.

“A lot of people have pointed to Mark Meadows not named as a co-conspirator in the federal indictment, but obviously named as a defendant here [in Georgia case],” John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser who is now a vocal critic of the former president, said on CNN.

“It’s pretty hard to see how he can be separated that way. So perhaps he cooperated at the federal level, but didn’t cooperate enough at the state level,” Bolton added.

As with the Smith’s investigation, it is unclear if Meadows intends to flip against Trump in the Georgia trial, and is currently attempting to have his case moved out of Fulton County into a federal court.

Newsweek reached out to Meadows’ legal team via email for comment.

Fake Electors

Included in Willis’ indictment are three Georgia Republicans who are accused of being among the group of fake electors who tried to declare Trump the winner of the state in the 2020 election: Former Georgia GOP Chairman David Shafer, former Georgia GOP Finance Chairman Shawn Still and Cathleen Alston Latham.

In May, it was reported that eight of the 16 people involved in the fake electoral plot in Georgia had been granted immunity.

The group of 16 Republicans met at Georgia’s state capitol on December 14, 2020, to sign a certificate declaring falsely that Trump had won the presidential election and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.

The reports that eight fake electors have already been granted immunity in Willis’ case suggest more deals could be made prior to the trial.

Mike Roman

Others who were connected to the fake electors scheme may also be considered a candidate to flip, like former Trump campaign staffer Mike Roman, who was involved in the plot to deliver lists of fake electors to then-Vice President Mike Pence on January 6, 2021.

Roman, director of Election Day operations for Trump’s campaign, was previously reported to have cooperated with federal prosecutors as part of Smith’s January 6 probe having been considered a major part of the plot to send fake electoral officials to declare falsely that Trump had won in states such as Georgia, Arizona and Michigan in 2020.

Roman, like Meadows, is not one of the six co-conspirators listed in Smith’s January 6 federal indictment against Trump.

Newsweek reached out to Roman’s office via email for comment.

Jenna Ellis

A number of MAGA loyalists have suggested that former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis is in danger of flipping after appearing to distance herself from the former president.

There have been reports, not verified by Newsweek, that Ellis is no longer having her legal fees paid for by Trump’s PAC because she began praising 2024 Republican hopeful and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Ellis has since been fundraising her own legal fees through the GiveSendGo platform. While sharing a link to her page on X, formerly Twitter, far-right activist Laura Loomer warned people not to donate while raising fears she could flip on Trump.

“Do not fall for her lies. Jenna Ellis hates Donald Trump and his supporters and she has already threatened to flip on him,” Loomer tweeted. “Do NOT donate.”

Bill Palmer, who writes the left-wing political blog Palmer Report, said on X: “Trump knows he needs to pay Jenna Ellis’ legal fees so she won’t flip on him. But he’s reportedly refusing to do so, because she praised DeSantis. This is why Trump is such a lock for prison: he’s willing to destroy himself just to spite those he blames for his downfall.”

Newsweek reached out to Ellis’ legal team via email for comment.