Judge says Trump likely broke the law by trying to obstruct Congress from confirming Biden win - CNBC
Attorney John Eastman gestures as he speaks next to U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, as Trump supporters gather ahead of the president’s speech to contest the certification by the U.S. Congress of the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election on the Ellipse in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021.
Jim Bourg | Reuters
A federal judge said Monday that ex-President Donald Trump likely broke the law by “corruptly” attempting to obstruct the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s Electoral College win by Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.
Judge David Carter wrote in a court ruling that Trump with his ally, the lawyer John Eastman, “launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history.”
Eastman had written a memo that had detailed how Vice President Mike Pence could reject the certification of Biden’s election win by a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.
“Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower — it was a coup in search of a legal theory,” Carter wrote in the ruling in U.S. District Court for the Central District in California, which rejected most of Eastman’s bid to withhold documents subpoenaed by a select House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
If the plan “had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution,” the judge wrote.
“If the country does not commit to investigating and pursuing accountability for those responsible, the Court fears January 6 will repeat itself.”
“Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021,” the judge wrote.
Carter’s stinging comments came in his decision that ordered Eastman to disclose 101 documents to the select House committee.
The judge wrote that 10 other documents should not be turned over to the committee, finding that they are privileged because they constitute attorney work product.
Eastman had spoken at a rally for Trump held outside the White House earlier that day, where the then-president and his allies called on Congress and Pence to block Biden’s victory.
Shortly afterward, a mob of Trump supporters invaded the Capitol complex, and swarmed the halls of Congress. The riot disrupted for hours the proceedings confirming that Biden would become president later that month.
Spokespeople for Trump and the House committee, as well as Eastman’s attorney, did not immediately return requests for comment on Carter’s ruling.
- Additional reporting by Kevin Breuninger
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/28/judge-says-trump-likely-broke-the-law-by-trying-to-obstruct-congress-from-confirming-biden-win.html
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