Conservative lawyer John Eastman, who advised the Trump campaign on ways to overturn the 2020 election, is apparently of great interest to the Department of Justice.
On Monday, we learned Eastman had his phone seized by federal investigators in New Mexico last Wednesday. The discovery was made after Eastman filed a motion seeking to have a court return his phone and order officials to destroy what was retrieved from it. Clearly, he’s not happy about the encounter.
Just to refresh your memory: Eastman is alleged to have co-produced the plot to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence into blocking the certification of the 2020 election results. He pleaded the Fifth more than 100 times during questioning by congressional investigators, and the committee has shared evidence showing he angled for a pardon from Trump.
Now, we add Eastman’s name to the list of Trump officials who’ve publicly complained about law enforcement confronting them over their anti-democratic — and seemingly illegal — efforts. Eastman hasn’t been charged with a crime, but the seizure of his phone is likely related to his election-scheming with Trump.
Eastman — like former Trump adviser Peter Navarro and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark — joined white nationalist Fox News host Tucker Carlson for a softball interview Monday, during which he discussed his purportedly harrowing encounter with federal authorities. We even saw footage of the moment agents seized his phone.
Put this in the Smithsonian.
John Eastman made an active choice to disclose video of federal agents taking his phone… from his belt loop phone holder. pic.twitter.com/Pp2PIDKBWe
— follow @ryanjreilly on bluesky, signal in bio (@ryanjreilly) June 28, 2022
The actual interview with Eastman was full of outright lies and hyperbole. He told Carlson he filed a motion in court Monday because the Justice Department “illegally seized” his phone, and he compared the Biden administration to the British kingdom that ruled over American colonists.








