From the get-go, leaders at Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute recognized Jenna Ellis’ talents and they moved to put her in front of as many cameras and microphones as they could.

Ellis — a young conservative from Longmont — was a fighter then, said Jeff Hunt, the institute’s president. And now she’s taken the fight to the national stage as legal adviser for President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign.

“We always knew she was talented and smart and was going to help lead this country,” Hunt said. “She was a very good candidate for the Trump campaign.”

Ellis’ position has risen to an even higher national prominence in the days following Tuesday’s election as she — echoing the president’s remarks — called results into question and accused Democrats of foul play without evidence.

“Remember when cats and dogs were receiving ballots, the dead people were receiving ballots,” Ellis told Fox News on Thursday. “They want all of those ballots to count as well.”

Ellis, 35, told The Denver Post by email that the president’s main message is that every legal vote counts.

“We have a system of free and fair elections in this country that must be preserved,” she said. “We are fighting for election integrity, not just for the outcome of the 2020 presidential race, but for all elections in the future.”

When asked, she did not provide evidence of people casting ballots illegally but said campaign officials — for both Trump and Biden — should be allowed to observe the count “to ensure no illegal votes are counted.”

Already judges have thrown out lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign in Georgia and Michigan, with one judge saying there was no evidence ballots that had been cast were invalid.

Conservatives are mistrustful of political systems and the media, Hunt said. And they appreciate people like Ellis and Trump calling them into question.

“They want the election to be honest,” Hunt said. “There’s a lot of shenanigans going on right now.”

That fight is a continuation of Ellis’ work in Colorado, he said.

Early in her career Ellis, an attorney, took a strong interest in constitutional law, particularly as it relates to religious liberties. She joined the Centennial Institute in 2015 as a fellow in constitutional law and policy after working as a deputy district attorney in Colorado, a contract attorney for the U.S. Department of State and law clerk for the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Bill Armstrong, then president of Colorado Christian University, quickly recognized her intellect, Hunt said.

“He said ‘Make sure you get her out there and see what she can do. Let’s help her out,’” Hunt said. “And she did really well. She was one of those people who didn’t mind taking a 3 a.m. interview from a conservative talk station in Wisconsin.”

Ellis also took to the halls of the Colorado Capitol, lobbying on behalf of pro-life and religious liberty causes, among others.

Before long local political players realized that she was operating at a “pro level,” Hunt said and encouraged her to take her talents to Washington, D.C. She joined Trump’s campaign in early 2019.

Ellis has inspired conservative women — showing them that women don’t have to be liberal, said Kristi Burton Brown, vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party.

“She’s a real go-getter. She doesn’t stand on the sidelines,” Burton Brown said. “She takes action and gets things done.”

Ellis sits in the pantheon with Penny Young Nance, Jeanne Mancini, Marjorie Jones Dannenfelser and Lila Rose, each prominent heads of national anti-abortion organizations, Hunt said.

“It’s a season for conservative women, for sure,” he said.

Ellis said serving Trump has been the honor and privilege of her lifetime and she hopes to impart that American rights are divinely granted and the government’s role is to preserve those rights. She said she aims to inspire others to love the Constitution and the freedoms it grants: Liberty and justice for all.

“I hope my greatest legacy will be teaching people to love the God of the Bible and come to know Jesus Christ as their own personal Lord and Savior. And because of that, understand why our American system matters. Our first freedoms are speech, assembly, and free exercise of religion,” Ellis said.

Source: Read Full Article