Former President Donald Trump "more likely than not" committed felony obstruction of Congress by trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, a federal judge said Monday in a ruling on a dispute over documents related to Jan. 6, Axios and Politico report.
According to court filings, Trump-allied legal scholar John Eastman had sued the committee in an attempt to block the committee from obtaining a cache of 111 emails Eastman sent or received between Nov. 3, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2021.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In December, Eastman invoked the Fifth Amendment when asked to testify before the Jan. 6 committee.
Judge David Carter — who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton — wrote in his ruling that Eastman's strategy was "a coup in search of a legal theory" and that "[b]ased on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress" and that Trump conspired with Eastman to defraud the United States.
Federal law defines "corruptly" in part as "acting with an improper purpose, personally or by influencing another, including making a false or misleading statement."
Carter ruled that 10 of the emails were privileged, as Eastman had argued, but that the other 101 must be handed over to the committee. The ruling has no direct effect on Trump.
"More than a year after the attack on our Capitol, the public is still searching for accountability. This case cannot provide it. The Court is tasked only with deciding a dispute over a handful of emails," Carter wrote.
-
How are these Epstein files so damaging to Trump?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As Republicans and Democrats release dueling tranches of Epstein-related documents, the White House finds itself caught in a mess partially of its own making
-
Margaret Atwood’s memoir, intergenerational trauma and the fight to make spousal rape a crime: Welcome to November booksThe Week Recommends This month's new releases include ‘Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts’ by Margaret Atwood, ‘Cursed Daughters’ by Oyinkan Braithwaite and 'Without Consent' by Sarah Weinman
-
‘Tariffs are making daily life less affordable now’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are these Epstein files so damaging to Trump?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As Republicans and Democrats release dueling tranches of Epstein-related documents, the White House finds itself caught in a mess partially of its own making
-
Will California tax its billionaires?Talking Points A proposed one-time levy would shore up education and Medicaid
-
Trump DOJ sues to block California redistrictingSpeed Read California’s new congressional map was drawn by Democrats to flip Republican-held House seats
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
-
Catholic bishops rebuke Trump on immigrationSpeed Read ‘We feel compelled’ to ‘raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,’ the bishops said
-
House releases Epstein emails referencing TrumpSpeed Read The emails suggest Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex trafficking of underage women than he has claimed
-
A free speech debate is raging over sign language at the White HouseTalking Points The administration has been accused of excluding deaf Americans from press briefings
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
