Trump lawyer John Eastman turns himself in for arrest in Georgia

John Eastman, a California attorney and ally of former President Trump, surrendered at a Fulton County, Ga., jail Tuesday following an indictment handed down last week in connection with attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Eastman is accused of pressuring then-Vice President Mike Pence to delay Congress’ certification of the election results or to throw out Georgia’s votes, and of helping to organize fake slates of electors in Georgia and other states who cast ballots for Trump in an effort to undermine Joe Biden’s win when Congress met to certify the election on Jan. 6, 2021.

The former Chapman University law professor was indicted with Trump and 17 others and accused of a plot to disrupt the 2020 presidential vote in Fulton County, elsewhere in Georgia and in other states by misleading voters and state and federal lawmakers about the outcome and giving them false instructions about what could be done to overturn the results in order to keep Trump in power.

Eastman’s bond is set at $100,000. He is charged with nine counts including solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer and conspiracy to commit forgery.

“My legal team and I will vigorously contest every count of the indictment in which I am named, and also every count in which others are named, for which my knowledge of the relevant facts, law, and constitutional provisions may prove helpful,” Eastman said in a statement.

The 19 indicted defendants have until 9 a.m. Pacific time Friday to surrender. Trump announced on social media Monday that he plans to surrender Thursday. His bond was set at $200,000.

On Monday, Eastman’s trial before the California Bar Court resumed after a two-month hiatus. The judge overseeing the disciplinary proceeding, Yvette Roland, dismissed Eastman’s request to delay the fight over whether to revoke his law license until after his pending legal issues are resolved, but she did pause the trial Tuesday and Wednesday so he could surrender in Fulton County.

References in special counsel Jack Smith’s federal indictment against Trump appear to indicate that Eastman may be an unindicted co-conspirator in that election case.

Earlier Tuesday, former bail bondsman Scott Hall surrendered to authorities. His bond was set at $10,000. He is accused of helping a team working for Trump’s allies access and copy the Coffee County, Ga., election system.

In Georgia, election equipment is owned by the state, not the county.