Trump ally John Eastman surrenders at Georgia jail in election case

John Eastman, the attorney facing criminal charges for his efforts to overturn former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, surrendered at a jail in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Eastman was booked on the Fulton County jail, the web site’s inmate database shows. As of 10:50 a.m. ET, he had not been released.

Eastman is one among 19 co-defendants, including Trump, facing charges within the Georgia criminal case led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Eastman penned an infamous memo outlining the dubious legal theory that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to reject key electoral college votes while he presided over a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.

Eastman faces nine counts of crimes including racketeering, conspiracy to commit forgery and filing false documents.

All of the co-defendants within the case must give up on the jail by Friday. Trump, who faces 13 criminal counts, said on social media late Monday that he would give up Thursday.

A judge on Monday set Eastman’s bond at $100,000.

“I’m here today to give up to an indictment that ought to never have been brought,” Eastman said in a statement posted to the web site of one among his attorneys.

“It represents a crossing of the Rubicon for our country, implicating the elemental First Amendment right to petition the federal government for redress of grievances,” Eastman said.

He accused Willis of targeting attorneys who merely performed “zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients,” by difficult the election results “through lawful and appropriate means.”

“The try to criminalize our rights to such redress with this indictment can have – and is already having – profound consequences for our system of justice,” Eastman said.

He vowed to “vigorously contest” the counts against him and expressed confidence that each one of his co-defendants will likely be “fully vindicated.”

That is breaking news. Please check back for updates.