Who is Sidney Powell, the lawyer the Trump campaign is now distancing itself from?

US President Donald Trump’s election campaign has issued a statement distancing itself from Sidney Powell, a lawyer who made baseless allegations of voter fraud.

“Sidney Powell is practising law on her own,” Trump campaign lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis said in the statement.

“She is not a member of the Trump legal team. She is also not a lawyer for the President in his personal capacity.”

The announcement came a day after a judge dismissed the campaign’s lawsuit seeking to halt President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, dealing a major blow to Mr Trump’s flailing efforts to overturn his November 3 election loss.

But what led to the Trump legal team issuing this statement?

Here’s what you need to know.

Who is Sidney Powell?