🚨 Trump attorneys get career-ending news
Summary
TLDRThe transcript discusses the legal consequences facing two former Trump attorneys, John Eastman and Jeffrey Clark, for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. Eastman, who devised a plan for then-Vice President Pence to unilaterally declare Trump the election winner, faces recommended disbarment in California and is also implicated in criminal proceedings in Georgia and Washington DC. Clark, who weaponized the Department of Justice in his attempt to assist Trump, is undergoing a disbarment trial in DC and has been pleading the Fifth Amendment. The discussion highlights the potential impact on the legal profession and serves as a warning to lawyers considering engaging in unethical conduct.
Takeaways
- 📜 John Eastman, a former Trump attorney, faces recommended disbarment in California due to his involvement in attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
- 👨⚖️ The California Supreme Court will make the final decision on Eastman's disbarment, following a lower court's recommendation based on a 128-page ruling.
- 🏛️ Judge IET Roland's ruling stated that Eastman's actions were deceitful, dishonest, and lacked legal or factual support.
- 🔍 Eastman is also implicated in criminal proceedings related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia and Washington DC.
- 💼 The potential disbarment of Eastman in California could impact his ability to practice law in other states due to reciprocity agreements.
- 🍔 Eastman's complaint about not being able to earn money while awaiting disbarment was met with skepticism, considering his alleged unethical conduct.
- 🎙️ Jeffrey Clark, another Trump attorney, is undergoing a disbarment trial in DC and has been invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
- 🚨 Clark's invocation of various privileges, including attorney-client privilege, was questioned as inappropriate given his role as a DOJ official.
- 📉 The actions of Eastman and Clark may serve as a deterrent for future lawyers considering engaging in legally questionable activities on behalf of political figures.
- 🌐 The legal profession's image has been challenged by lawyers associated with Trump, with some facing professional consequences for their actions.
Q & A
What was John Eastman's role in the 2020 election controversy?
-John Eastman was the architect of a scheme to have Mike Pence unilaterally declare Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 election, despite losing the election.
What is the current status of John Eastman's disbarment case in California?
-A California judge has recommended disbarment for John Eastman, and the case is now pending before the California Supreme Court for a final decision.
What are the potential implications of John Eastman's disbarment in California for his ability to practice law in other states?
-While disbarment in California would prevent Eastman from practicing law in the state, it could also impact his ability to practice in other states, as many have reciprocity agreements that honor disbarments from other jurisdictions.
What is the significance of Jeffrey Clark's testimony in his disbarment trial?
-Jeffrey Clark's testimony is significant because he repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, which suggests that his truthful testimony would have incriminated him.
What was the role of Jeffrey Clark in the events leading up to January 6th?
-Jeffrey Clark was a Department of Justice official who joined Donald Trump's conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, attempting to weaponize and corrupt the Department of Justice in the process.
How did the judge in John Eastman's case describe his actions?
-The judge described Eastman's actions as deceitful, dishonest, unlawful, and lacking any factual or legal support.
What is the potential impact of these disbarment proceedings on future lawyers representing controversial figures?
-The disbarment proceedings serve as a warning to lawyers about the consequences of engaging in unethical and unlawful conduct, and should discourage them from associating with individuals who encourage such behavior.
What other legal issues is John Eastman facing besides disbarment?
-In addition to the disbarment proceedings, Eastman is a charged co-conspirator in Donald Trump's Georgia State RICO prosecution and an unindicted co-conspirator in the federal prosecution in Washington DC related to the 2020 election.
What was the reaction of John Eastman's attorney to the decision to place him on inactive status?
-Eastman's attorney argued that it was unfair for Eastman to be placed on inactive status because it would prevent him from working to pay his bills while defending himself in other ongoing cases.
What was the examiner's response to Jeffrey Clark's claim of attorney-client privilege?
-The examiner questioned Clark's claim, pointing out that as a DOJ official, he should not have entered into an attorney-client relationship with the president, as it is not the role of DOJ officials to represent individuals but rather the interests of the American people.
What is the broader implication of the legal actions against lawyers in Donald Trump's orbit?
-The legal actions suggest that lawyers who engage in unethical or illegal conduct to support controversial figures like Donald Trump may face professional consequences, including disbarment and criminal charges.
Outlines
📜 Legal Troubles for John Eastman
The first paragraph discusses the legal issues faced by John Eastman, a prominent attorney associated with former President Donald Trump. Eastman, known for his role in the scheme to have Mike Pence unilaterally declare Trump the winner of the 2020 election, is facing recommended disbarment by a California judge. The paragraph delves into the potential consequences of this recommendation, including the likelihood of the California Supreme Court affirming the decision and the impact on Eastman's ability to practice law in other states. It also highlights Eastman's broader legal troubles, including his involvement in criminal cases in Georgia and Washington DC related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
📝 Jeffrey Clark's Disbarment Trial
The second paragraph focuses on the ongoing disbarment trial of Jeffrey Clark, another Trump attorney, in Washington DC. Clark, a former Department of Justice official, is accused of weaponizing the DOJ to assist in overturning the 2020 election results, which is contrary to the role of a DOJ official. The summary details Clark's testimony, in which he repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, and the implications of this action. It also discusses the various privileges Clark attempted to claim, including executive and attorney-client privileges, and the examiner's response to these claims.
🚨 The Legal Profession and Trump's Associates
The third paragraph reflects on the broader implications of the legal issues faced by Eastman and Clark for the legal profession, particularly those lawyers who have associated with Donald Trump. It suggests that these cases should serve as a deterrent for future lawyers considering working with Trump, as many have faced professional consequences for their actions. The paragraph also discusses the motivations of lawyers who choose to align with Trump and the potential ramifications they may face, referencing other Trump lawyers who have encountered legal troubles. The summary concludes by expressing a hope that the legal profession will maintain its integrity and that lawyers will prioritize ethics over proximity to power.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Disbarment
💡John Eastman
💡Jeffrey Clark
💡Fifth Amendment
💡RICO Prosecution
💡State Bar Council
💡Unethical Conduct
💡Criminal Conspiracy
💡Legal Profession
💡Trump's Legal Team
💡Professional Ethics
Highlights
John Eastman, a prominent Trump attorney, faces recommended disbarment by a California judge for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election results.
The California Supreme Court will make the final decision on Eastman's disbarment, following a 128-page ruling that described his actions as deceitful, dishonest, and lacking legal support.
Eastman is also a charged co-conspirator in Trump's Georgia State RICO prosecution and an unindicted co-conspirator in the federal prosecution in Washington DC.
The likelihood of the California Supreme Court affirming the lower court's recommendation for disbarment is high, given the thoroughness of the ruling and the nature of Eastman's actions.
Disbarment in one jurisdiction may lead to similar actions in other states, though the process is not automatic and each state bar has its own rules and procedures.
Eastman's current inactive status prevents him from practicing law and earning income, a situation his attorneys have complained about.
Jeffrey Clark, another Trump attorney, is undergoing a disbarment trial in DC for his involvement in the events leading up to January 6th.
Clark, a former Department of Justice official, is accused of weaponizing the DOJ to assist Trump in overturning the 2020 election results.
During his disbarment trial, Clark repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, which may suggest that his truthful testimony would incriminate him.
Clark's attempt to plead various privileges, including attorney-client privilege, was questioned since DOJ officials do not typically enter into attorney-client relationships.
The legal profession's image has been challenged by lawyers associated with Trump, with some facing consequences for their unethical conduct.
The ongoing disbarment proceedings and prosecutions related to Trump's associates serve as a warning to lawyers considering representing him in future legal battles.
The legal breakdown discussion highlights the importance of ethical conduct for lawyers and the potential repercussions of aligning with controversial figures like Trump.
Despite the negative consequences for some lawyers, it is unclear whether this will deter future legal representatives from associating with Trump.
The upcoming Manhattan trial on April 15th will further test the legal strategies and ethical boundaries of Trump's current legal team.
The case of Eastman and Clark underscores the legal and ethical challenges faced by lawyers in high-profile political cases.
The legal community is closely watching the outcomes of these disbarment trials and prosecutions, as they set precedents for professional conduct and accountability.
The transcripts provide a detailed account of the legal actions against Eastman and Clark, offering insights into the legal strategies and potential outcomes.
Transcripts
you're watching the legal breakdown so
Glenn we've got some bad news here for
two prominent Trump attorneys John
Eastman and Jeffrey Clark so let's stick
with uh with John Eastman first he was
the architect for this scheme to have
Mike Pence unilaterally anoint Donald
Trump the winner of the 2020 election
which he lost now a judge in California
has recommended disbarment so that now
goes to the California Supreme Court to
make the final decision what's the
timeline from here so I'm not sure how
quickly the California Supreme Court
will act on this but I'll tell you when
I was reviewing the 128 page ruling that
the California judge just issued it's
pretty devastating let me just read you
one sentence judge um her name is IET
Roland and she said Eastman's actions
were carried out with deceit or
dishonesty and his plan to derail
Democrat Joe Biden's election victory
was unlawful and lacked any factual or
legal support now remember this bment
might be the least of John Eastman's
worries because he is also a criminal
associate a Charged co-conspirator a
co-defendant in Donald Trump's Georgia
State Rico prosecution and he's also an
un indicted co-conspirator in the
federal prosecution in Washington DC for
Donald Trump trying to attempt to
overturn the 2020 presidential election
so John Eastman has got a world of hurt
coming down on him now what's the
likelihood that the California Supreme
Court accepts the lower Court's
recommendation I would bet the full
Dollar on it you know that's my betting
limit one Buck I'm not a high roller
I'll put the full buck and then sum on
the California Supreme Court affirming
this very thorough very detailed ruling
after there was a full trial on the
merits it was a um you know a bar counil
trial it wasn't like a criminal trial
proper in court but you know John
Eastman could testify he could to call
Witnesses on his behalf and um I would
be shocked if the California Supreme
Court did not fully adopt an affirm the
lower uh Court judges ruling and so then
in terms of his ability to practice law
clearly he won't be able to practice law
in California but what about other
states usually the states have
reciprocity which means if one State Bar
disbars somebody that will carry over to
other state bars in the event Eastman is
admitted to other state bars there may
be a procedure in place but remember
when for example another Donald Trump
lawyer Rudy Giuliani was I think um
provisionally disbar in New York the
first thing that happened was that the
DC Bar Council picked it up and ran with
it and now Rudy I think is provisionally
dispart in DC as well so listen dispart
in one jurisdiction you're going to be
end up not being able to practice law in
all jurisdictions but but the process
isn't automatic so they they then have
to go through their own process in each
respective state is that right yes and
no each state Bar Council adopts its own
procedures for disciplining their
lawyers some of them and they're
different and they're pretty wide
ranging so some uh State Bar Council
offices might just say listen we have
full reciprocity if he's been disbarred
somewhere else we use that as the basis
to basically summarily dispar him
without the need for an additional trial
or disciplinary hearing but again every
state bar just like every uh court
system in every state they have their
own rules and procedures GL I want to
get your response to uh there was a
moment where the judge in the trial when
they found out that uh that John Eastman
would be placed on inactive status while
we await the final decision from the
California Supreme Court that uh that
his attorney basically said well it's
not fair that he's placed on inactive
status because then he can't work to pay
his bills while he defend himself in
other ongoing cases so what's your
reaction uh to this to this complaint by
man and his attorneys that he can't make
money practicing law while he awaits
disbarment for abusing his law license
um yeah my reaction is let me look
around for the world's tiniest violin to
play for John Eastman because look if
you've been provisionally dispar because
you've engaged in unprofessional
unethical and frankly unlawful conduct
you know I just don't think it's a
well-placed complaint that but but but
look I'm also a criminal defendant down
in Georgia and geez I need to come up
with the money to pay my counsel somehow
well you know what work at Home Depot
Flip Burger Burgers I mean you can still
make money but you've lost the um the
ability to practice law right you're
you're no longer in a position to
represent clients given the way you
violated and abused your law license so
yeah I don't feel so bad for John
Eastman Glenn uh correct me if I'm wrong
but I believe the legal term for that is
around find out is that correct he
is definitely in the find out stage of
that one yeah all right so let's move
over to Jeffrey Clark now his dispart uh
trial is happening in DC what's the
status of that yeah so he just hit the
stand he was just given the opportunity
to testify in his disbarment trial which
is in progress in DC being conducted by
the DC Bar Council and you know this
couldn't happened to a nicer guy because
there's a special place in hell for
Jeffrey Clark the reason I say that is
he was a Department of Justice official
and what he did was join Donald Trump's
criminal conspiracy in the runup to
January 6th he weaponized corrupted the
Department of Justice and tried to use
it to assist Donald Trump in criminally
and unconstitutionally overturning the
results of a presidential election kind
of the exact opposite of what a doj
official should be doing so here's what
happened happened he was given the
opportunity to testify in his disbarment
trial and he really tried to avoid it
tried to use some procedural ducking and
dodging didn't work so he ended up
pleading the fifth invoking his Fifth
Amendment right against
self-incrimination over and over and
over again and let's be clear lawyers
know this Brian and I think the general
public knows it as well the only way you
are permitted to plead the Fifth to
invoke your Fifth Amendment right
against self-incrimination is if your
truthful testimony would tend to
incriminate you and let me just add on
to that I put lots of people in the
grand jury over my three decades as a
federal prosecutor and a lot of them
would plead the fifth why because they
were scared they didn't want to testify
they didn't want to snitch or because
maybe they were fiercely loyal to the
defendant the person I was investigating
and intending to indict so they would
throw it up as a shield and they would
say I plead the fifth well guess what
you can't plead the fifth just because
you're scared and you can't plead the
fifth just because you don't want to
incriminate somebody else the law
provides you can only plead the fifth if
your truthful testimony would
incriminate you so when somebody would
throw up a bogus fifth we would walk
across the street we would have a
hearing before the chief judge the chief
judge would determine if that person had
a well-placed fifth amendment privilege
against self-incrimination off often
they didn't they were just scared which
I fully understand I never beat up a
witness figuratively speaking for being
scared um but they had to overcome that
and they can't use the Fifth Amendment
to just keep themselves from testifying
so what does that tell us when Jeffrey
Clark over and over and over again pled
the fifth it's because his truthful
testimony would have incriminated him
and so we can draw a negative inference
from that correct you can in the cont in
the court of public opinion but let's be
real clear interestingly I just taught
this topic to my criminal justice
students at George Washington University
um you can never use the invocation of
somebody's Fifth Amendment privilege
against them in a court of law why well
it would kind of defeat the purpose of
the fifth right you can't be compelled
to incriminate yourself if you could
then walk into court and say well ladies
and gentlemen of the jury he pleed the
fifth and you all know what that means
that would actually be using his silence
against him now Court of public opinion
you bet it's fair game for us to be
talking about it well and take Donald
Trump's words himself uh when he said
that only criminals plead the fifth now
he has his own henchmen doing exactly
that and interestingly Brian I I love
this aspect of his testimony he was
asked during the proceedings um he he
not only pled the fifth he also tried to
plead all these other privileges many of
them are bogus he said uh executive
privilege and deliberative privilege and
attorney client privilege that was a
curious one you know why doj officials
don't enter into attorney client
relationships with anybody never mind
the president of the United States it's
not what we do we represent the interest
of the American people but we are
prohibited it's not ethical for us to
enter into attorney client relationships
so when he said the attorney client
privilege you know what the examiner
asked him wait a minute wait a minute
who were you representing and he said
Donald Trump Trump the president of the
United States you know what I would have
said to him hey sport that's not the way
any of this works and he knows that
because he was a doj official and what
instantly came to mind when I read he
tried to plead the attorney client
privilege because he claimed he
represented Donald Trump the president
of the United States it reminded me of
what another doj official Richard
Donahue testified to to the January 6th
house select committee about Jeffrey
Clark because Jeffrey Clark kept poking
his nose into everything that was going
on in the runup to January 6th he kept
showing up at these Oval Office meetings
even though he had no business being
there and he was an environmental lawyer
he was a civil lawyer didn't know
anything about criminal law and Richard
Donahue turned to him when Jeffrey Clark
kept inserting himself into this and
said hey you're an environmental lawyer
you know what if we have an oil spill
we'll call you otherwise why don't you
just go back to your office but
nevertheless Jeffrey Clark joined Donald
Trump's conspiracy uh tried to weaponize
and corrupt the Department of Justice in
furtherance of that conspiracy and
that's why he is a co-defendant criminal
associate co-conspirator of Donald Trump
in the RICO prosecution in Georgia and
he's an unindicted co-conspirator in
Donald Trump's Federal prosecution in DC
and like you said couldn't happen to a
better guy Glenn do you think this will
have any impact in terms of discouraging
future lawyers from breaking the law on
Donald Trump's behalf it certainly
should if any lawyers have even an ounce
of Ethics or they care at all about
their law license do not hitch your
professional wagon to Donald Trump
because look at how many lawyers have
suffered consequences because they were
trying to do Donald Trump's Dirty Bit
from Rudy Giuliani to cydney Powell to
Kenneth chesbro now John Eastman Jeffrey
Clark and who knows what the future
holds in store for the Elena habas and
the Chris kaes who represented Donald
Trump in the um New York civil fraud
case of course Donald Trump went down in
flames in that case and now he's being
um represented in the New York State
prosecution for Trump's attempting to
interfere in the 2016 election by a new
batch of lawyers so you know I can
imagine those lawyers will also have
trouble headed their way soon and let's
finish off with this what does this say
more broadly about the state of the
legal profession at least in Donald
Trump's orbit that that it's been
allowed to get this far yeah I am not
prepared to say the state of the legal
profession is strong I wish I could but
I think um much of of the legal
profession has been exposed um in the
age of trump at least the lawyers who
seem to forever be willing to flock to
Donald Trump I don't know I can't
imagine it's for the money because
Donald Trump so often stiffs his lawyers
some people I think like proximity to
power because they believe they can
convert that into business in the future
but you know I I'm reminded of a former
colleague of mine former Federal
prosecutor Evan corkran who represented
Donald Trump during the whole Mara Lago
Affair and what happened Donald Trump
urged Evan corkran to commit crimes for
Donald Trump the crime fraud exception
applied the attorney client privilege
evaporated because of it and Evan
corkran had to go into the Federal grand
jury frankly where he and I used to go
present cases and seek indictments and
he had to testify about the crimes of
his client Donald Trump why people would
hitch their wagon why lawyers would
hitch their wagon to Donald Trump it's
beyond me yeah and of course his current
lawyers have the advantage so to speak
of watching what will eventually happen
to them in real time so uh but you know
is that going to stop them from
representing him probably not uh with
that said we'll obviously stay on top of
any disbarment proceedings as they
continue uh to move forward as well as
the rest of the prosecutions that Trump
is contending with as we head into uh
this upcoming Manhattan trial starting
on April 15th so for those watching
right now if you want to follow along
Please Subscribe the links to both of
our channels are right here on this
screen I'm Brian Tyler Cohen and I'm
Glenn kersner you're watching the legal
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