WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 04: John Eastman, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage, testifies during a hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee June 4, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee heard from six representatives of groups that were targeted by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for special scrutiny. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump lawyer John Eastman, who is known as the mastermind behind the effort to overturn the 2020 election results, asked for a presidential pardon, Thursday’s public hearing held by the House select committee that has been investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack revealed.
“I’ve decided that I should be on the pardon list if that is still in the works,” Eastman wrote to Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, in a January 11, 2021, email indicating he knew that he would need protection for what he was involved in.
“Will taint me, but given the outright lies and false witness being spewed, having that protection is probably prudent,” Eastman added.
Eastman’s plan included pressuring then-Vice President Mike Pence to block the certification of President Joe Biden by rejecting electors from certain states. Pence didn’t follow Eastman’s requests.
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Giuliani and Eastman both spoke at Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally prior to the Capitol breech.
“All we are demanding of Vice President Pence is this afternoon at 1 o’clock he let the legislatures of the state look into this so that we get to the bottom of it and the American people know that we have control of the direction of our government or not,” Eastman said at the rally.
Trump did not end up pardoning Eastman.
A deposition with Former White House lawyer Eric Herschmann was also released during the hearings. Herschmann recalled a phone call with Eastman in which he told him, “‘Are you out of your effing mind? Because I only want to hear two words coming out of your mouth from now on: ‘orderly transition.’ I said, ‘I don’t want to hear any other effing words coming out of your mouth.”
“Eventually he said ‘orderly transition.’ I said, ‘Good John. Now I’m gonna give you the best free legal advice you’re ever getting in your life. Get a great effing criminal defense lawyer. You’re gonna need it,'” he added.
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