John Eastman, the lawyer who served as a legal adviser to Donald Trump, is facing a challenge to his law license and facing possible disbarment over his development of the dubious legal theory behind the efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Eastman, as uncovered by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Capital Riots, was deeply involved in forming a legal basis for Trump to challenge his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.
The day before the January 6, 2021, Capital riot, Eastman met with Mike Pence in the Oval Office and falsely claimed that the vice president had the constitutional authority to throw out the election results during the certification process. Pence rejected the claim. Eastman was also found to have developed a six-point plan outlining how Pence might throw out the results in seven states that Trump lost.
Eastman's hand in Trump's attempts to stay in power has put him at the heart of efforts to bring accountability to those who orchestrated the plot. In its final hearing, the House Select Committee voted to refer Eastman, along with Trump and others, to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for criminal charges. Eastman was specifically referred for obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States. The case is being investigated by the DOJ under the oversight of special counsel Jack Smith.
Additionally, Eastman is in the midst of a challenge to his license to practice law from the State Bar Court of California. The court is considering 11 disciplinary charges over his development of the legal theory he proposed to have Pence overturn the election. The proceedings began Tuesday in a Los Angeles court.
After the proceedings concluded June 20, Eastman responded to Newsweek's request for comment saying, "I'm glad we can finally get going, so reasonable people can see that I have a solid basis for the representations I made in my capacity representing the president.
"I think today went very well. I was asked questions about the basis for what I did, and I provided answers for everything they asked."
The California State Bar Association accused Eastman of "moral turpitude, dishonesty, and corruption" for making false statements about the plan to overturn the election, which it said violated the state's business and profession codes. The association further argued that Eastman "violated this duty in furtherance of an attempt to usurp the will of the American people and overturn election results for the highest office in the land—an egregious and unprecedented attack on our democracy."
The process, ABC News reported, is expected to last for eight days. Should Eastman be found culpable, he could see his license to practice law suspended or revoked, though the final decision will be made by the California Supreme Court.
Update: 06/21/23 5:07 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Eastman.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
