Lawyer John Eastman Surrenders in Trump's Alleged 2020 Election Meddling Case in Georgia

John Eastman - Photo: PBS

ATLANTA (AP) — John Eastman, the conservative attorney who championed a scheme to maintain Donald Trump's presidency, turned himself over to authorities on Tuesday, facing charges related to the Georgia case involving an alleged illicit effort to overturn the former president's loss in the 2020 election.

Eastman was taken into custody at the Fulton County jail and is expected to appear for an arraignment within the next few weeks as part of the extensive racketeering case.

Alongside Trump and 17 others, Eastman was indicted last week by District Attorney Fani Willis, who claims they conspired to undermine the democratic will of Georgia's voters in a desperate attempt to prevent Joe Biden from assuming office. This marked the fourth criminal case brought against the former Republican president.

Trump, who was assigned a $200,000 bond on Monday, expressed his intention to surrender to Fulton County authorities on Thursday. Conditions of his bond restrict him from intimidating co-defendants, witnesses, or victims involved in the case, both in person and through social media. Notably, Trump has a history of launching attacks against the prosecutors leading the charges against him, including Fani Willis.

Eastman, in a statement issued by his legal representatives, stated that he was turning himself in on Tuesday due to an "unjust indictment." He criticized the indictment's focus on "attorneys for their passionate advocacy on behalf of their clients" and argued that all 19 defendants had the right to rely on legal advice and past legal precedents to challenge the election results.

Previously serving as the dean of Chapman University Law School in Southern California, Eastman played a close advisory role to Trump in the lead-up to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of the then-president, who aimed to disrupt the certification of Biden's electoral victory. Eastman had penned a memo outlining potential steps Vice President Mike Pence could take to halt the tallying of electoral votes during the joint session of Congress on January 6, with the goal of maintaining Trump's presidency.

Following the 2020 election, Eastman and his associates advocated for the appointment of "alternative" electors, falsely certifying Trump's victory. They sought to pressure Pence into rejecting or postponing the counting of legitimate electoral votes cast for Democrat Joe Biden.

On Tuesday, Scott Hall, a bail bondsman implicated in a breach of election equipment in Coffee County, Georgia, also surrendered himself to the Fulton County Jail.

Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department lawyer, and David Shafer, former chair of the Georgia Republican Party, who are both defendants, have taken steps to transfer the case to federal court. While Willis has filed for a trial date of March 4 in Fulton County Superior Court, the legal maneuvers, including attempts to shift the case to federal jurisdiction, could potentially delay the commencement of the trial.

Clark's legal team contended in a court filing on Monday that his actions, described in the indictment, were directly linked to his work at the Justice Department and his interactions with the former U.S. President. Similarly, Shafer's attorneys argued that his conduct stemmed from his role as a nominee for Presidential Elector, asserting that these actions were undertaken at the behest of the President and other federal officials.

Last week, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows made comparable arguments in a federal court filing, asserting that his actions were in service to his responsibilities within the White House. A hearing for this case is scheduled for Monday.

Donald Trump - Photo: USA Today

The legal teams representing Meadows and Clark submitted motions seeking to prevent their clients from being required to surrender to the Fulton County Jail by the noon Friday deadline. Clark's motion aimed to halt any proceedings in Fulton County Superior Court, while Meadows' motion asked the judge to promptly rule on the transfer of his case to federal court or to issue an order preventing Willis from making arrests before Monday's hearing. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones granted Willis' office until 3 p.m. on Wednesday to respond to both motions.

Meadows' motion disclosed that his lawyers had initially requested an extension from Willis, which she declined, informing them via email on Tuesday that she would "file warrants in the system" by 12:30 p.m. on Friday.

Clark, an ardent supporter of Trump's unfounded claims of election fraud, had presented colleagues with a draft letter in December 2020, urging Georgia officials to convene a special legislative session to review the election results, as testified before the U.S. House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. However, his request to send the letter was rejected by higher-ups at the Justice Department.

Among the defendants, David Shafer was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely asserting Trump's victory in the state's 2020 presidential election, even though Biden had secured the state's victory and a set of Democratic electors had been certified.

Several defendants, including Shafer, negotiated bond amounts with the district attorney's office on Tuesday. Shafer's bond was set at $75,000.

Jenna Ellis, an attorney implicated in efforts to sway state lawmakers into unlawfully designating presidential electors, received a bond of $100,000. Michael Roman, a former White House aide involved in Trump's Election Day operations and attempts to establish counterfeit electors post-2020 election, was granted a $50,000 bond. Robert Cheeley, a lawyer accused of orchestrating a fake electors meeting at the state Capitol in December 2020 and subsequently lying about his knowledge during a special grand jury hearing, received a $14,000 bond.

Shawn Still, another individual alleged to be a fake elector who secured a Georgia state Senate seat in November 2022 and now represents an Atlanta suburb district, was granted bond at $10,000. Cathy Latham, another accused fake elector involved in the breach of election equipment in Coffee County, was assigned a bond of $75,000. Stephen Cliffgard Lee, a pastor accused by prosecutors of working alongside others to pressure a Fulton County election worker, received a bond of $75,000.