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Trump violated federal laws in bid to overturn election, Capitol attack panel claims

Trump violated federal laws in bid to overturn election, Capitol attack panel claims

In a major filing, the House committee says the former president was obstructing Congress and defrauding the United States

The House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack said in a major filing on Wednesday that it believed that Donald Trump violated multiple federal laws to overturn the 2020 election, including obstructing Congress and defrauding the United States.

The revelations came as part of a filing that intended to force John Eastman, Trump’s former lawyer, to turn over thousands of emails and records since his participation in potential crimes destroyed his arguments for attorney-client privilege protections.

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House counsel Douglas Letter said in the 61-page filing that the select committee had a basis for concluding Trump violated the law by obstructing or attempting to obstruct an official proceeding and defrauded the United States by interfering with lawful government functions.

Eastman has so far turned over about 8,000 pages of emails and documents from 4-7 January to the panel, but has withheld an additional 11,000 documents on the basis that they are protected by attorney-client privilege or constitute confidential attorney work product.

The select committee has previously disputed his privilege claims by arguing that he has not demonstrated he had been formally retained as a lawyer for Trump, the White House or the Trump campaign. An ‘engagement letter’ that Eastman produced last week was unsigned.

Eastman was a central figure to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and helped lead a “war room” at the Willard hotel in Washington that orchestrated a scheme to have then-vice-president Mike Pence return Trump to office.

Topics

  • US Capitol attack
  • Donald Trump
  • US politics
  • House of Representatives
  • news
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Source: Elections - theguardian.com


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