Sidney Powell's restitution check 'vindication' for Georgia, says election official

ATLANTA - Georgia Secretary of State Chief Operations Officer Gabe Sterling displayed the restitution check former President Donald Trump’s attorney, Sidney Powell, paid to the state just weeks after she pleaded guilty in the 2020 Georgia election Interference case.

"Yesterday afternoon, we received our first restitution check from Sidney Powell. It’s a small down payment on what should be owed to the voters and the people of Georgia," Sterling told reporters during a news conference Wednesday.

He called Powell’s guilty plea vindication for elections workers around this country whose lives were turned upside down because of Powell and others’ false claims of widespread voter fraud.

"At some point earlier on, you could’ve said, ‘Yes, I have questions.’ At this point, the questions are answered. The courts have spoken," explained Sterling. "This restitution check is a small part of that, but it’s an important part. It’s real, it’s tangible, and this money will further be invested in election security."

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Gabe Sterling, the Georgia Secretary of State’s COO, holds up the restitution check made by former Trump attorney Sidney Powell, calling it vindication for election integrity in the state. (FOX 5)

With elections now underway in 122 Georgia counties, Sterling said the Secretary of State’s Office continues to work to ensure election integrity.

"This office, and this legislature, and this government are invested in doing every single day the necessary work to keep our election secure," he said.

On Wednesday, the Georgia Department of Homeland Security and Georgia Emergency Management Agency performed a final inspection of every location that holds the state’s physical voting equipment.

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To date, "health checks" have been performed on voting machines in about half of Georgia’s 159 counties.

Sterling also touted the successful launch of the Georgia Registered Voter Information System, and the new use of poll pads, to check in and verify voters, as some of the steps taken to add additional layers of security to the election process.

"For over three years now, we have had people lying about our elections in Georgia," said Sterling. "We have now begun to see the accountability of that take place."