John Eastman, Former Chapman Professor And Trump Legal Advisor, Under Investigation By California State Bar
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — The State Bar of California has launched an ethics investigation into John Eastman, a former law professor at Chapman University and one-time legal advisor to former President Trump.
The State Bar announced on Tuesday that it has been investigating Eastman since September to determine if he has "engaged in conduct in violation of California law and ethics rules governing attorneys following and in relation to the November 2020 presidential election."
Eastman was forced out of Chapman when multiple faculty members objected to his representation of Trump, as the former president continued to claim he was defeated by Joe Biden because the 2020 Election was "rigged." The former law professor also attended the rally ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and provided Trump with a plan that would have then-Vice President Mike Pence block certification of the election so new state electors could be appointed who could overturn the election results.
Eastman sued the congressional Jan. 6 commission after Chapman agreed to release about 30,000 emails to the commission from his law school account. U.S. District Judge David Carter rejected Eastman's injunction request, but attorneys for Eastman and the commission are negotiating which emails would not be considered privileged and which ones could be handed over.
Randall Miller, Eastman's attorney, says his client believes the State Bar's investigation will exonerate him.
"Dr. Eastman, a nationally recognized constitutional attorney and scholar, represented former President Trump in several election challenges,'' Miller said in a statement. "As was his duty as an attorney, Dr. Eastman zealously represented his client, comprehensively exploring legal and constitutional means to advance his client's interests."
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