A federal judge on Monday ordered the release of more than 100 emails from Trump adviser John Eastman to the House committee investigating the insurrection at the Capitol, asserting it is “more likely than not” that former President Trump committed crimes in his attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election. The ruling by US District Court Judge David Carter marked a major legal win for the panel as it looks to correspondence from Eastman, the lawyer who was consulting with Trump as he attempted to overturn the presidential election, per the AP. The New York Times also sees it as a "significant breakthrough" for the panel.
“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,” Carter wrote in the ruling submitted in the federal Central District of California. Eastman was trying to withhold documents from the committee on the basis of an attorney-client privilege claim between him and the former president. The committee responded earlier this month, arguing that there is a legal exception allowing the disclosure of communications regarding ongoing or future crimes.
The March 3 filing from the committee was their most formal effort to link the former president to a federal crime. Lawmakers do not have the power to bring criminal charges on their own and can only make a referral to the Justice Department. The department has been investigating last year’s riot, but it has not given any indication that it is considering seeking charges against Trump. "The illegality of the plan was obvious," wrote the judge.
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