Topline
A former White House lawyer fed up with Trump legal advisor John Eastman’s push to overturn the results of the 2020 election advised Eastman to “get a great f’ing criminal defense lawyer” after the January 6 riot, according to testimony released by the January 6 committee ahead of its next hearing, which will focus on the Trump team’s effort to somehow get former Vice President Mike Pence to block President Joe Biden’s win.
John Eastman testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Key Facts
The committee tweeted a short video clip Tuesday previewing testimony from former White House lawyer Eric Herschmann, who recounted a tense exchange the day after the January 6 riot in which Eastman suggested the Trump legal team should double down on its effort to overturn Georgia’s election results.
Herschmann said he fired back at Eastman, demanding he only talk about the “orderly transition” to the next administration and encouraging him to find a defense attorney.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the vice chairwoman of the January 6 committee, announced the panel will scrutinize Trump’s “relentless effort” to pressure Pence at its next hearing Thursday at 1 p.m., noting a federal judge said Trump’s push was “more likely than not” a criminal act.
Eastman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Crucial Quote
“I’m going to give you the best free legal advice you’re ever getting in your life,” Herschmann said he told Eastman. “Get a great f’ing criminal defense lawyer—you’re going to need it.”
Key Background
The committee’s two hearings over the past week have largely centered on the actions of rioters storming the Capitol and Trump’s insistence he won the 2020 election, despite top advisors like then-Attorney General Bill Barr telling him otherwise. Eastman was one of several figures Trump appeared to elevate into his inner circle after the election based on support for his voter fraud claims, along with the likes of attorney Sidney Powell and White House trade advisor Peter Navarro. U.S. District Court Judge David Carter ordered Eastman earlier this month to turn over more than 150 documents to the January 6 committee outlining the Trump legal team’s plans to block the certification of the election, including a scheme involving “fake electors.” Also among the documents is a memo Eastman forwarded to Trump describing January 6 as the “Hard Deadline” to block President Joe Biden’s win.
Tangent
Cheney said at Thursday night’s hearing that Trump told White House staffers he had no problem with his supporters calling for the vice president to be lynched on January 6, claiming he responded to “hang Mike Pence!” chants by saying Pence “deserves it.” Trump has denied ever making the comment.
Further Reading
Jan. 6 Committee Hearing: Riot Defendants Say Trump ‘Asked’ Them To Storm Capitol (Forbes)
Trump ‘More Likely Than Not’ Illegally Tried To Obstruct Election, Federal Judge Says (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/06/14/white-house-attorney-told-trumps-legal-advisor-to-get-great-fing-criminal-defense-lawyer-after-jan-6/