Current Events > State Bar of California vs John Eastman: Disbarment hearing day 1

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-john-eastman-607f457a20ac9ed11daa546f01aa6c8d

Eastman is scheduled to testify in his own defense Tuesday. The proceedings will feature witnesses such as Greg Jacob, a former attorney for then-Vice President Mike Pence who pushed back against Eastmans plan to have Pence stop the certification of Joe Bidens victory.

Eastman was one of Trumps lawyers during the election. He argued, in a memo, that Pence could keep Trump in power by overturning the results of the election during a joint session of Congress convened to count electoral votes. Critics have likened that to instructions for staging a coup.

Eastman violated Californias business and professions code by making false and misleading statements that constitute acts of moral turpitude, dishonesty, and corruption, the State Bar alleges, and in doing so he violated this duty in furtherance of an attempt to usurp the will of the American people and overturn election results for the highest office in the land an egregious and unprecedented attack on our democracy.
https://apps.statebarcourt.ca.gov/dockets.aspx

According to the docket information, this will go for about 8 days. Tuesday - Friday of this week, and then Tuesday - Friday of next week.

They're going to allow the media to live stream it as well. It's still early in California, so I'm not sure a link is available yet.

John Eastman is the architect of the dumb ass fake Trump electors plot. "Alternate" electors from every battleground state in the 2020 election signed fraudulent documents with the National Archives and Records Association (NARA) and Congress leading up to January 6th, 2021 as if they were the actual electors from their respective states.

There are at least 3 investigations going on into this:

• Federally, the special counsel Jack Smith has an investigation going on about this and recently had the fake Trump electors from Nevada testify in front of a federal grand jury in Washington, DC.
• In Georgia, Fulton County DA Fani Willis is set to announce indictments in the late July - August time frame. She has reportedly obtained cooperation deals with at least 8 of Georgia's fake Trump electors. According to the Georgia special purpose grand jury's foreman, the number of people who were recommended for indictments was "not a short list." Fani Willis now needs a regular grand jury to actually vote on indictments, and she has asked judges in Fulton County to not schedule any trials or in-person hearings for roughly the first half of August.
• Michigan had initially referred the investigation to the DoJ a couple years ago or so. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel got tired of waiting on the DoJ because they hadn't done anything about it, so they re-opened their own criminal investigation back in January of 2023.

So a few thoughts:
*How exactly does CA state bar define "corruption"? Sadly the only examples that come to mind are fictional, where a lawyer was present when a client hired a hitman in a (very old) Law and Order episode..
*Have there even been fake electors hired on the state level to intentionally offer false results at a national level? Are there actual criminal charges beyond perjury for doing so?

It's kind of amazing how dumb Republicans really are.

If the perpetrators of this plot had been even moderately competent, they well might have succeeded

Ruvan22 posted...

So a few thoughts:
*How exactly does CA state bar define "corruption"? Sadly the only examples that come to mind are fictional, where a lawyer was present when a client hired a hitman in a (very old) Law and Order episode..
*Have there even been fake electors hired on the state level to intentionally offer false results at a national level? Are there actual criminal charges beyond perjury for doing so?

On the 2nd question:

• I believe the most applicable federal criminal statute would be 18 U.S.C. 371 - CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES
• https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-923-18-usc-371-conspiracy-defraud-us

There may or may not be other charges that would apply, but I'm not sure. Republicans had fake electors in multiple states:

• Arizona
• Nevada
• Georgia
• Pennsylvania
• Wisconsin
• Michigan
• New Mexico

https://calbar.zoom.us/j/97985435232

The Zoom link from the California state bar

No screenshots allowed

The defense is trying to get the court to admit something from a licensed CPA in relation to voting or election matters

And the dude is interrupting the judge in attempt to do so.

They're already starting off with dumb shit.

Court has denied the defense's motion, which isn't surprising.

Now the defense is trying to admit some type of "expert analysis" from someone who wouldn't allow anyone to look at his database to verify its authenticity.

This is stupid.

I've got a couple meetings, so I'll have to turn it off for a couple hours

CableZL posted...

Now the defense is trying to admit some type of "expert analysis" from someone who wouldn't allow anyone to look at his database to verify its authenticity.

This is stupid.

The judge must have the patience of a saint..

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1671236439374266369

The state bar has called John Eastman up to testify

So far, the overall point that Eastman is using is that his argument for using alternate electors was contingent upon the results of investigations into illegalities into the election.

So I really hope they get him to address the fact that they did indeed move forward with the fake electors plot even after all of their legal challenges failed.

OK now they're asking about Rudy Giuliani, and Eastman says they started working together in late December. I think they're walking this over to the actual execution of the plot.

CableZL posted...

So far, the overall point that Eastman is using is that his argument for using alternate electors was contingent upon the results of investigations into illegalities into the election.

So I really hope they get him to address the fact that they did indeed move forward with the fake electors plot even after all of their legal challenges failed.

Is "I started planning something illegal in case something else made it legal" a viable legal defense?

Ruvan22 posted...

Is "I started planning something illegal in case something else made it legal" a viable legal defense?

No idea, lol. There's so much uncharted territory when it comes to Trump and co. and their dumb ass plans

Holy shit. This is still going on?

Starks posted...

Holy shit. This is still going on?

Yeah, they're in Pacific time. The court is in recess right now, but I think they're gonna come back today. I'm not sure I'm gonna listen to the whole thing after all because I want to go do some other things.

CableZL posted...

No idea, lol. There's so much uncharted territory when it comes to Trump and co. and their dumb ass plans

Many precidents will be set because of that president.
Is that what he meant when he said only he can fix the system?

Eastman is flailing in this particular line of questioning. There is a "Mr. Geel" that did some data analysis that was called highly flawed. Eastman says he addressed the concerns listed, but also admits that he can't remember if he read the analysis that points out various issues with Geel's analysis.

I'm turning it off for today. They've been debating the specifics of attorney client privilege for an extended time now.

so can they use all the testimony from other cases that everyone knew Trump lost and the court cases were nonsense?

CableZL posted...

Eastman violated Californias business and professions code by making false and misleading statements that constitute acts of moral turpitude, dishonesty, and corruption,

???
I thought this was about disbarring a lawyer.
Why are they complimenting him?

So they're in day 2 now... The more I listen to of this, the more I doubt I'm gonna listen to even half of this.

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1671581262748819457

"And thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege."

Greg Jacob explained in exact terms of how John Eastman's theory that the vice president had unilateral authority to reject electoral college votes is bullshit.

CableZL posted...

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1671581262748819457

"And thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege."

Wait - did he send this email DURING the riot?

Ruvan22 posted...

Wait - did he send this email DURING the riot?

Yes, that was sent just before he was moved to a different area, I believe. I can't remember if he said he was in the senate chamber and moved to somewhere else right after he sent that or if he was moved to the senate chamber.

CableZL posted...

Yes, that was sent just before he was moved to a different area, I believe. I can't remember if he said he was in the senate chamber and moved to somewhere else right after he sent that or if he was moved to the senate chamber.

Scary...

I had forgotten that John Eastman was one of the speakers during Trump's rally right before the capitol riot... I'm gonna pull up a video of what he said in that speech specifically so I can refresh my memory.

Greg Jacob specifically attributed a quote to Eastman, (paraphrasing) "If the Vice President doesn't do what he is being asked to do, he just doesn't deserve to be in the office."

LOL

The defense has been trying to strike a few of Greg Jacob's statements on the grounds of hearsay. The judge, I think getting fed up with their bullshit, just said that hearsay is allowed in the state bar court in certain situations and this is one of them.

I've got a work meeting, so I'll have to stop listening for now.

Requiem posted...

???
I thought this was about disbarring a lawyer.
Why are they complimenting him?

Telling someone they're committing moral turpitude isn't a compliment....

https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1671770423803953152

Moments before a pro-Trump mob would smash its way through a Capitol window, Greg Jacob was a few yards away at a self-serve coffee shop in the buildings Senate wing.

Oh wow, so Greg Jacob was getting coffee in the capitol when Dominic Pezzola smashed one of the nearby windows with a stolen police riot shield.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/6/4/AABjoOAAEl1s.jpg

Today will be day 4. I've listened to most of it, outside of a few work meetings here and there.

The vast majority of it hasn't been very interesting, in that there aren't tons of revelations happening like in the January 6th Select Committee hearings.

The biggest and probably only "wow" moment so far is Greg Jacob, former counsel to then VP Mike Pence, saying he was at a coffee shop on the Senate wing of the Capitol when Proud Boys member Dominic Pezzola busted in a window with a riot shield about 40 feet away.