In a remarkable 44-page ruling , a federal judge found it was « more likely than not » that former President Donald Trump violated the law and « corruptly …
In a remarkable 44-page ruling, a federal judge found it was « more likely than not » that former President Donald Trump violated the law and « corruptly attempted to obstruct » Congress in his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. The court’s finding is narrowly focused on a set of documents sought by the congressional committee investigating the Jan.6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and does not have direct legal consequences for Trump himself. The finding could be rejected on appeal, or be contradicted by other judges hearing cases related to the Capitol riot. Still, the ruling is consistent with a legal theory advanced by the House Select Committee investigating Jan.6 that Trump and others may have broken the law in their attempts to overturn the election. « It’s enormously significant, » said Jonathan Shaub, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law. « This is a thorough judicial analysis that, I think, it’s difficult to sort of just brush aside, and it will give the committee’s statements that there have been crimes some credibility. » Shaub noted that the charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, which the judge found Trump « likely » committed, has been brought against many Jan.6 riot defendants. The ruling arose out of a dispute between the pro-Trump attorney John Eastman and the congressional committee. In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Eastman put together legal strategies and advised the Trump team on how they might overturn President Joe Biden’s electoral victory, and met with Trump, then-Vice President Mike Pence, and others at the White House.
