John Eastman’s Bad Defense Gets Worse

He slyly accuses Pence’s lawyer of perjury. But is he telling the truth?

Review & Outlook: While Democrats want to use the Jan. 6 investigation to paint the opposition as a gang of insurrectionist nuts, Republicans cannot ignore the accumulating evidence regarding Donald Trump's conduct. Images: Press Pool/Reuters/Getty Images Composite: Mark Kelly
By
The Editorial Board

John Eastman took the Fifth Amendment 100 times when he was before the House Jan. 6 committee, per a hearing this summer. Given Mr. Eastman’s reluctance to discuss his role in those events, his letter to the editor nearby adds to the public record, and it’s worth a final word.

Start with the insinuation of perjury. Mr. Eastman denies advising that Vice President Mike Pence could reject electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. Mr. Pence’s legal counsel, Greg Jacob, testified under oath that on Jan. 5 Mr. Eastman explicitly asked for the VP to do that. Mr. Eastman now says Mr. Jacob “either misconstrued something I said (in a meeting several hours long covering many complex issues) or bore false witness.”

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