Federal judge: 'More likely than not that President Trump' committed crimes to stay in power
Trump speaks at the "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6. (Screenshot via YouTube.com)

A federal judge on Monday ordered Trump attorney John Eastman to turn emails over to the Jan. 6 Committee. The judge also said that the former president likely committed crimes while trying to stay in power.

In his 44-page ruling, Judge David O. Carter of the Central District of California said both then-President Donald Trump and Eastman likely knew that a plan to overturn the 2020 presidential election was illegal but went ahead with it anyway.

After reviewing over 100 documents, Carter found that Eastman can only withhold 10 of them.

"Dr. Eastman and President Trump launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history," the judge wrote. "Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower—it was a coup in search of a legal theory. The plan spurred violent attacks on the seat of our nation’s government, led to the deaths of several law enforcement officers, and deepened public distrust in our political process."


Carter noted that it was "more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021."