Attorney John Eastman pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, fraud, and forgery charges related to his involvement in the effort to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in Arizona to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Eastman, who came up with a strategy to convince Congress not to certify the election, is the first person to be arraigned in Arizona’s fake elector case. He denied any communication with Arizona electors or involvement in election litigation, expressing confidence in being fully exonerated. Arraignments for 12 others charged in the case, including Republican electors who falsely claimed Trump won Arizona, are scheduled for May 21.
The Arizona indictment accuses Eastman of encouraging GOP electors to vote in December 2020, pressuring state lawmakers to change the election outcome, and telling then-Vice President Mike Pence he could reject Democratic electors during the counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump, though not charged, was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, another Trump ally, is identifiable in the indictment but has not been charged yet. Arraignments for others involved, such as former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, are scheduled for June 7.
Last year, Eastman faced charges in Georgia’s election overturning scheme and was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a federal indictment against Trump related to the 2020 election results. Arizona is the fourth state where Trump allies have been charged for making false claims about voter fraud in relation to the election. The 11 fake Arizona electors, who claimed Trump won the state, filed a lawsuit challenging Biden’s victory, but it was dismissed for lacking factual support. Biden ultimately won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes.
Efforts to serve Giuliani with notice of the charges in the Arizona case have been unsuccessful. Multiple attempts to reach Giuliani, including in-person visits and phone calls, have been made by the attorney general’s office, but were unsuccessful. The Arizona Republican Party posted a video of the 11 fake electors signing a certificate claiming Trump’s victory, which was later ignored by Congress and the National Archives. Giuliani’s refusal to accept the notice of charges aligns with the ongoing legal battle against Trump allies in multiple states over claims of election fraud.
The indictment against Eastman and others involved in the Arizona election fraud case sheds light on the extent to which Trump allies went in attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. The legal proceedings and arraignments signify a significant step in holding individuals accountable for their roles in the effort to disrupt the democratic process. The dismissal of the lawsuit filed by the fake electors highlights the lack of factual evidence supporting their claims of election fraud, further undermining the credibility of the baseless allegations made by Trump and his supporters. The ongoing legal battles and indictments serve as a warning to those who seek to undermine the sanctity of the democratic process.
