Judge finds ‘likely’ that Trump broke the law by trying to reverse the presidential election

In another development, Mr Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner is expected to testify approximately this week before the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress, according to US media.

That day, thousands of supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, the seat of legislative power, sowing chaos and for hours obstructing the certification by elected officials of the results of the presidential election.

Judge David Carter’s opinion, provided in a separate filing, has no legal consequences for the former White House host, but it puts pressure on the Justice Department, which alone can indict Trump for alleged responsibility in the attack. Is.

Justice Carter explained, “The court makes it more likely that President Trump made a corrupt attempt to disrupt the session of Congress on January 6, 2021.”

The judge, who serves in a federal court in California, was called to rule on the refusal of attorney John Eastman, an aide to Mr. Trump, to transmit one hundred e-mails written from his address to the Commission of Inquiry. was for. Chapman University near Los Angeles, where he taught law.

After the election, Mr. Eastman reportedly wrote a memo to Donald Trump claiming that his Vice President Mike Pence had the power to reverse election results in some states, robbing Joe Biden of his victory. . On 6 January, Mr Pence refused to do so despite pressure from Donald Trump.

“President Trump and Dr. Eastman upheld the plan with allegations of voter fraud, but President Trump knew these allegations were unfounded and therefore the entire plan was illegal,” the judge said.

“Dr Eastman and President Trump have launched a campaign to reverse a Democratic election, an unprecedented act in American history,” he said.

“This campaign was not limited to an ivory tower – it was a coup in search of legal principle,” he said.

Ordering John Eastman to hand over 101 documents to the commission, the judge explains, “If the country is not committed to the investigation and tries to hold those responsible, the court fears that January 6th will repeat itself.” ‘Test.’

The commission was also set on Monday to bring charges against two of Trump’s closest aides, his former economic adviser Peter Navarro and his ex-social media adviser Dan Scavino, who ignored the summons.