A federal judge has ruled that Donald Trump “more likely than not” broke the law when he “corruptly” tried to obstruct President Joe Biden’s win back in January 2021. The judge’s ruling came following a civil suit on Monday, March 28th involving the House committee investigating the riots that broke out at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021.
“With a plan this ‘BOLD,’ President Trump knowingly tried to subvert this fundamental principle. 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,” U.S. District Judge David Carter wrote in his 44-page ruling. “If the country does not commit to investigating and pursuing accountability for those responsible, the Court fears January 6 will repeat itself,” he added.
"The illegality of the plan was obvious," Carter continued, in relation to Trump and his lawyer John Eastman's plan to have then-Vice President Mike Pence overturn the results of the 2020 election. "Every American – and certainly the president of the United States – knows that in a democracy, leaders are elected, not installed."
Carter also wrote that Trump and Eastman "launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history. Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower – it was a coup in search of a legal theory." He also wrote in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ruling that if Trump's plan "had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution."
But perhaps the thing that could hurt Trump the most was the fact that Eastman was also ordered to turn over hundreds of emails to the House select committee investigating the Capitol riots – something which he has previously tried to keep out of the inquiry – which could potentially contain evidence of illegal plans to overturn the 2020 election. "Based on the evidence the court finds that it is more likely than not that President Trump and Dr Eastman dishonestly conspired to obstruct the joint session of Congress on January 6 2021," Carter wrote.
Eastman’s lawyer Charles Burnham said that while his client will of course comply with Carter’s order, he wanted to point out that the ruling relied on evidence "cherry picked by the committee." Burnham said in a statement: "Dr. Eastman has an unblemished record as an attorney and respectfully disagrees with the judge’s findings. Dr. Eastman asks all persons interested in this case to join him in calling upon the January 6th committee to release all the evidence so the courts and the public can reach accurate conclusions about the matters involved."
