Sidney Powell guilty of lying to America

On Thursday, attorney Sidney Powell pleaded guilty in Georgia to charges related to her role in the bizarre scheme to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election results.

Powell is best known for promising to produce “the kraken” to once and for all prove that the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.

Then, and now, this editorial board understood this to be completely fanciful. And that's being generous.

On Dec. 8, 2020, this editorial board wrote:

“By now, we've heard it all. Attorney Sidney Powell was going to “release the kraken” and prove that Donald Trump was in fact the victim of widespread election fraud

Ballots were allegedly illegally altered. Large numbers of questionable votes were counted. There were affidavits that spoke to widespread wrongdoing.

This was all going to be proven in court. Right?

Well, when it finally came time for the president's campaign and his allies to go to court, they not only failed to deliver on their claims but have been called out for using litigation not to address actual problems but for cynical political ends.”

There was never any serious evidence, none, that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” in any coherent sense of the term.

Sidney Powell, President Trump, Rudy Guiliani and countless pundits and politicians unfortunately instilled in the minds of upset and angry Republicans an utter mythology. Namely, that “they” — whoever “they” are — “stole” — with alleged ballot stuffing/ Venezuelan voting machines/ whatever — the election.

This editorial board warned, on Nov. 23, 2020, that “It will be a stain on the republic, the American right and the Republican Party if such messages are how the outcome of the Nov. 3 election is understood.”

Unfortunately, three years later, the American right has remained intellectually impaired by the falsehoods perpetuated by the likes of Sidney Powell and former President Trump.

We remain hopeful that, in time, the American conservative movement can regain some sobriety and find itself again. The nation faces serious problems that cannot be solved as long as the GOP remains captive to lies.