A lawyer for Fulton County defendant John Eastman called the indictment of his client along with former President Donald Trump and other allies a “political” move, vowing to challenge the charges “in any and all forums.”
“Lawyers everywhere should be sleepless over this latest stunt to criminalize their advocacy,” Eastman’s attorney Harvey Silverglate told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “This is a legal cluster bomb that leaves unexploded ordinances for lawyers to navigate in perpetuity.”
DONALD TRUMP INDICTED: THREE THINGS THE GEORGIA INDICTMENT REVEALS ABOUT FORMER PRESIDENT’S FUTURE
The former president and his lawyers, including Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, were among 19 people named in a 41-count indictment that was released late Monday night, which accuses the defendants of unlawfully conspiring to conduct and participate in a “criminal enterprise” following Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Eastman, a former University of Colorado visiting professor, is accused of aiding in the design of a legal strategy targeted at keeping Trump in power after his 2020 election loss. He is also allegedly one of the central figures in using claims of made-up electors in swing states won by Biden.
In one of the acts of conspiracy listed on page 61 of the indictment, Fulton County prosecutors allege Eastman met on Jan. 5, 2021, with chief of staff to the vice president Marc Short and counsel to the vice president Greg Jacob to request Vice President Mike Pence to reject slates of presidential electors from Georgia and certain other states during the joint session of Congress one day later.
Silverglate said, “The indictment in Georgia vs. Donald Trump and 18 others sets out activity that is political, but not criminal,” adding that “Dr. Eastman will challenge this indictment in any and all forums available to him.”
“It goes hand-in-glove with the recent effort to criminalize lawful political speech and legal advice, in stark violation of constitutional rights to Freedom of Speech, Right to Petition the Government for Redress of Grievances, and the Right to Counsel,” Silverglate added.
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Eastman is also facing disbarment proceedings in California, which he has requested to be placed on hold over concerns about the potential for criminal charges in a separate federal investigation.
Democratic Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has given Eastman and the other 18 defendants, including attorney Sidney Powell and former chief of staff Mark Meadows, until Aug. 25 at noon to surrender to law enforcement.
