The mugshot of John Eastman — one of former President Donald Trump’s codefendants in the Fulton County, Georgia, racketeering case — was released Tuesday, hours after the Trump ally turned himself in to authorities.
Eastman was adamant about his and his codefendants’ innocence as he spoke outside the county jail, reiterating that he believes the 2020 election was stolen and saying he has no regrets for providing counsel to the former president.
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Eastman repeatedly answered “No comment” to a reporter’s questions concerning the Fulton County case, where he, Trump, and 17 others are accused of attempting to subvert the 2020 election. Such questions included whether he was given a mugshot on Tuesday and whether he believes he or others, such as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, have a standing for immunity from prosecution.
However, when asked about the 2020 election, Eastman had a different response. “Do you still think the election was stolen?” NBC News reporter Ali Vitali asked. “Absolutely. No question,” Eastman firmly replied.
Eastman, who allegedly helped form the strategy that led Trump to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to throw out electors on Jan. 6, 2021, faces nine counts in the 41-count racketeering indictment that ties back to alleged efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia’s 2020 race.
Eastman was the second person of the 19 indicted to surrender to authorities before Friday’s deadline. Atlanta-based bail bondsman Scott Hall, who is accused of being involved in a Coffee County voting system breach, turned himself in on Tuesday as well.
Former personal attorney for Trump, Rudy Giuliani, will reportedly surrender on Wednesday, and Trump said he will turn himself in on Thursday with a bond of $200,000.
Eastman also faces a California disciplinary trial over charges that he violated 11 ethical and statutory obligations in his post-election role ahead of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. That trial resumes on Thursday and has been temporarily put on hold to accommodate his surrender in Fulton County.
Two other defendants signed their bond agreement on Tuesday. State Republican Sen. Shawn Still, who was indicted due to his role as an alternate elector after Trump lost the election, had a “signature bond” set at $10,000. This type of bond is typically reserved for defendants facing minor charges or if it is their first time being charged with a crime and may not require the defendant to pay any amount.
David Shafer, the former head of the Georgia GOP who helped create a meeting of alternate electors, had his bond set at $75,000.
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Meanwhile, two fellow co-defendants, including Schafer and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, filed notices to remove their case from state to federal court on Monday, following a previous move started by Meadows last week.
Legal experts have suggested Trump himself is likely to attempt to remove his case from state court, citing a pattern of doing so in his other civil and criminal legal cases in New York.
