John Eastman, a lawyer who was part of Donald J. Trump’s 2020 election campaign, has been arraigned in Phoenix on state criminal charges related to his efforts to keep Trump in power after he lost the election. Eastman faces charges of fraud, forgery, and conspiracy, making him the first of 18 defendants in the case to appear before a judge. Other defendants scheduled to be arraigned include Boris Epshteyn and Mark Meadows. Rudolph W. Giuliani, also charged in the case, was Trump’s personal lawyer.
Eastman is accused of helping devise a plan to present fake electors for Trump in Arizona and other swing states to have Congress block or delay the certification of Biden’s victory on January 6, 2021. He is facing racketeering and other charges in Georgia as well. Despite being temporarily barred from practicing law in California and Washington, D.C., Eastman maintains that the 2020 election was stolen and has continued to assert his innocence, stating that he was merely providing legal advice to the Trump campaign.
The Arizona indictment alleges that Eastman and other defendants made multiple attempts to overturn Arizona’s election results by pressuring officials to change the results. When these efforts failed, a group of fake electors associated with Trump met at the Arizona Republican Party headquarters and certified votes for Trump, which were then submitted to Congress. Eastman’s lawyer claims he had no communication with the Arizona electors, making it challenging for the state to prove a conspiracy.
Several White House lawyers who worked during the Trump administration have given testimony criticizing Eastman’s legal advice, describing him as irresponsible and disconnected from reality. Despite this, Eastman, part of a legal advisory faction that convinced Trump to take extreme measures to prevent the transfer of power to Biden, has continued to deny any wrongdoing. Criminal charges related to the Trump campaign’s efforts to reverse the 2020 election results have been brought in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Michigan.
In Georgia, the case against Trump and his allies, including Eastman, was brought by Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County. Legal challenges, including an appeal seeking to disqualify the prosecutor due to a romantic relationship with a lawyer involved in the case, have delayed proceedings. Similar cases have been brought in Nevada by the state attorney general against individuals who posed as pro-Trump electors in 2020 and in Michigan by the attorney general against fake electors. Trials in these cases are expected to take place next year.
The Arizona election interference case is tentatively scheduled to begin in mid-October, although delays are likely due to the complexity of the case. Defense lawyers, including Eastman’s attorney, plan to request additional time to prepare. Arraignments in the case are ongoing, with the prosecution alleging that the defendants engaged in illegal acts to influence the election results. The legal battle over the charges related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results is ongoing, with multiple trials expected to take place in the coming year.
