John Eastman, the University of Colorado Boulders visiting scholar of conservative thought and policy, speaks about his plans to sue the university at a news conference outside of CU Boulder on Thursday, April 29, 2021.
Andy Cross | Denver Post | Getty Images
John Eastman, the attorney facing criminal charges for his efforts to overturn former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, surrendered at a jail in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Eastman was booked at the Fulton County jail, the website’s inmate database shows. As of 10:50 a.m. ET, he had not been released.
Eastman is one of 19 co-defendants, including Trump, facing charges in the Georgia criminal case led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Eastman penned an infamous memo outlining the dubious legal theory that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to reject key electoral college votes while he presided over a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.
Eastman faces nine counts of crimes including racketeering, conspiracy to commit forgery and filing false documents.
All the co-defendants in the case must surrender at the jail by Friday. Trump, who faces 13 criminal counts, said on social media late Monday that he would surrender Thursday.
A judge on Monday set Eastman’s bond at $100,000.
“I am here today to surrender to an indictment that should never have been brought,” Eastman said in a statement posted to the website of one of his attorneys.
“It represents a crossing of the Rubicon for our country, implicating the fundamental First Amendment right to petition the government for redress of grievances,” Eastman said.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
