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California Bar investigates Trump’s attorney for post-2020 election conduct
The State Bar of California has launched an ethics investigation into attorney John Eastman, who represented former President Donald Trump in challenges to the 2020 election results.
In a statement earlier this week, the State Bar said it is probing whether Mr. Eastman “engaged in conduct in violation of California law and ethics rules governing attorneys following and in relation to the November 2020 presidential election.” The investigation began in September.
Mr. Eastman is a former law professor at Chapman University who retired from the law school shortly after the Jan. 6 attack.
“A number of individuals and entities have brought to the State Bar’s attention press reports, court filings and other public documents detailing Mr. Eastman’s conduct,” the State Bar of California’s chief trial counsel George Cardona said in a statement. “We want to thank those who took the time to bring to our attention this information, which serves as the starting point for our investigation.”
“We will be proceeding with a single State Bar investigation in which we will continue to gather and analyze relevant evidence and go wherever it leads us,” Mr. Cardona continued.
Los Angeles-based attorney Randall Miller provided a statement to the News-Press on behalf of Mr. Eastman, his client:
“Dr. Eastman, a nationally-recognized constitutional attorney and scholar, represented former President Trump in several election challenges. As was his duty as an attorney, Dr. Eastman zealously represented his client, comprehensively exploring legal and constitutional means to advance his client’s interests. Subsequent to that representation, he also sought to protect his client’s privileged communications ‘at every peril to himself,’ as his ethical obligation under the California Rules of Professional Conduct and California Business and Professions Code section 6068(e)(1). Dr. Eastman expects the Bar’s investigation into these matters will fully exonerate him from any charges.”
A U.S. House Select Committee probing the violent Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol alleged Mr. Eastman used his legal services to aid the former president and others who “may have engaged in criminal and/or fraudulent acts.”
Wednesday’s court filing from the U.S. House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attack is part of its efforts to seek records Mr. Eastman has declined to turn over, citing attorney-client privilege and work-product protection, according to the filing.
Mr. Eastman spoke at the rally ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and represented Mr. Trump in legal challenges in four states in an attempt to stop the certification of the presidential election results.
Through his Save America PAC, Mr. Trump responded to the news of the allegations made by the U.S. House committee.
“The actual conspiracy to defraud the United States was the Democrats rigging the Election, and the Fake News Media and the Unselect Committee covering it up,” former President Trump said. “Few things could be more fraudulent or met with more irregularities, than the Presidential Election of 2020.” email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
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