According to AP News, on Tuesday, John Eastman, a prominent conservative attorney, surrendered himself to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia, facing charges in a complex case that alleges an illicit plot to overturn the 2020 election results in favor of former President Donald Trump. Eastman, who previously gained attention for his efforts to challenge the election outcome, was booked at the Fulton County jail and is expected to undergo an arraignment in the near future as part of a wide-ranging racketeering case.
The case involves a total of 19 individuals, including Trump, who were indicted last week by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The indictment asserts that they engaged in a conspiracy to undermine the democratic will of Georgia voters, with the alleged intention of preventing Joe Biden from assuming the presidency. This marks the fourth instance in which criminal charges have been brought against Trump, underscoring the legal challenges he faces.
Donald Trump’s bond was set at $200,000, and he plans to surrender to authorities in Fulton County on Thursday. As per the conditions of his bond, he is prohibited from attempting to intimidate co-defendants, witnesses, or victims, including through social media platforms. Trump has been known for his combative stance toward the prosecutors involved in his legal cases, often resorting to inflammatory language, including racist rhetoric and stereotypes.
John Eastman, in a statement provided by his legal team, expressed his surrender as a response to an indictment he believes should not have been filed. He criticized the indictment for targeting “attorneys for their zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients” and argued that the defendants had the right to rely on legal advice and precedent to challenge the election results.
Eastman, a former dean of Chapman University law school, was closely associated with Trump leading up to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was an adviser to Trump and authored a memo outlining potential actions Vice President Mike Pence could take to interfere in the certification of electoral votes on January 6, with the aim of keeping Trump in power.
The indictment alleges that Eastman and others worked to establish an alternate slate of electors, falsely certifying Trump’s victory, and attempted to pressure Pence into rejecting or postponing the counting of valid electoral votes for Biden.
