What you need to know about John Eastman’s 2020 election charges
Politics; PBS Newshour
Sep 21, 2023
…What does the Fulton County indictment allege?
The indictment released on Aug. 14 charges Trump and 18 alleged conspirators under Georgia’s RICO law, which is often used to prosecute criminal organizations. In addition, Eastman faces other conspiracy counts related to forgery, impersonating a public officer and filing false documents.
The indictment alleges that Eastman, along with other Trump associates, contacted state officials in Arizona and Georgia whom they pressured to unlawfully appoint alternate slates of presidential electors who would vote in favor of Trump, in “an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.”
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What does Trump’s federal indictment allege?
Eastman is believed to be “co-conspirator 2” in the federal indictment brought by special counsel Jack Smith at the beginning of August. .Prosecutors describe this conspirator as “an attorney who devised and attempted to implement a strategy to leverage the Vice President’s ceremonial role overseeing the certification proceeding to obstruct the certification of the presidential election.”
The indictment from the Department of Justice says co-conspirator 2 encouraged lawmakers in certain states to decertify legitimate electors. It also alleges that in late December 2020, the individual “circulated a two-page memorandum outlining a plan for the Vice President to unlawfully declare [Trump] the certified winner of the presidential election,” while also acknowledging that his proposal would violate the Electoral Count Act. .Eastman was also a primary focus of the House Jan. 6 committee’s investigation in June 2022. Under a subpoena to testify, he responded to nearly 150 questions by pleading the Fifth Amendment, according to CNN. Similarly, in 2022, Eastman pleaded the Fifth Amendment during the Fulton County special grand jury investigation that led to the recent Georgia indictment….
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