John Eastman Arrested In Georgia, Doubles Down on Election Lie – Rolling Stone

John Eastman election


Attorney John Eastman, one of the legal minds behind Donald Trump’s scheme to stay in office, surrendered to Georgia authorities on Tuesday for his arrest and arraignment on charges related to the efforts to subvert the 2020 election. 

While leaving the courthouse, Eastman reportedly resisted his attorney’s efforts to steer him away from an awaiting gaggle of reporters. Eastman then doubled down on the election lie used to justify the allegedly illegal effort to keep Trump in office, telling a reporter that there was “no question” in his mind that the 2020 election had been stolen from Donald Trump. 

“I am confident that, when the law is faithfully applied in this proceeding, all of my co-defendants and I will be fully vindicated,” Eastman added in a statement he read to reporters. 

Eastman was the mastermind behind a plot to undermine the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6. Eastman attempted to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence into using a fake slate of pro-Trump electors to block Biden’s certification, making a dubious argument that he had the constitutional authority to do so. The attorney is currently facing disbarment over his role in efforts to disrupt the peaceful transition of power in 2020. 

Eastman also argued on Tuesday that the indictment against him, Trump, and their 17 co-defendants constituted a “crossing of the Rubicon for our country, implicating the fundamental First Amendment right to petition the government for redress of grievances. As troubling, it targets attorneys for their zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients, something attorneys are ethically bound to provide and which was attempted here by ‘formally challeng[ing] the results of the election through lawful and appropriate means.’”

Defendants in the Georgia case have until Friday at noon to surrender for their arrest and arraignment. So far, only Eastman and Scott Hall — a bail bondsman, ironically — have presented themselves in court. 

On Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he plans to surrender on Thursday afternoon.

“Can you believe it? I’ll be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be ARRESTED by a Radical Left District Attorney, Fani Willis, who is overseeing one of the greatest Murder and Violent Crime DISASTERS in American History,” Trump wrote. “In my case, the trip to Atlanta is not for “Murder,” but for making a PERFECT PHONE CALL! She campaigned, and is continuing to campaign, and raise money on, this WITCH HUNT. This is in strict coordination with Crooked Joe Biden’s DOJ. It is all about ELECTION INTERFERENCE!”

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Earlier that morning, Trump’s attorneys met with Fulton County prosecutors to determine the conditions of his bail agreement. The former president will be required to pay a $200,000 in bond, promise to not commit any further crimes, appear in court when required to, and refrain from making any “direct or indirect threat of any nature” against any co-defendant, unindicted co-conspirator, witness, or victim. 

We’ll see if he can stick to it.





Source link: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/john-eastman-arrested-georgia-election-lie-1234810558/

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