Hi james,
Karma is an unreliable force in American politics, but when it strikes there is nothing quite as satisfying. With that in mind, one can’t help but draw some real satisfaction from the new ruling from a California judge recommending the disbarment of MAGA attorney John Eastman, the utterly immoral and unrepentantly treasonous architect of Trump’s harebrained scheme to have Mike Pence unilaterally overrule the results of the 2020 election.
The judge’s suggestion is just the first step towards a possible disbarment, so only a partial celebration is in order, but it’s a clear sign that things are rapidly going downhill for the crooks in Donald’s inner circle. More concretely, it puts two things into motion.
First, the recommendation is sent to the California Supreme Court, which will then weigh the facts of the matter and come to a final decision. Second, it automatically puts Eastman on ice, marking him as “inactive” so that he cannot practice law until the issue is resolved. If things go as they seem likely to — which is to say that the court decides to hold Eastman accountable for his blatantly illegal actions — he’ll join the ignominious ranks of Rudy Giuliani and Kenneth Chesebro, two similarly myopic men who chose to sacrifice their legal careers on the altar of the MAGA God-King’s turgid ego.
Tell the NY AG to seize ALL of Trump’s assets!
The recommendation from the California judge itself could not be any more scathing. Judge Yvette Roland writes that Eastman’s wrongdoing “constitutes exceptionally serious ethical violations warranting severe professional discipline.” She also took aim at his “complete failure” to show that he understands the “wrongfulness of his actions.”
For his part, Eastman has announced that he intends to appeal the ruling. His lawyer (isn’t it funny how all of Trump’s lawyers end up needing lawyers?) is whining that Eastman is being denied his right to earn money as a lawyer while simultaneously fighting a costly ongoing legal battle in Georgia for his role in the election interference there.
Eastman’s complaint has the same tenor as a doctor who intentionally and gleefully kills a patient, has his medical license revoked, is hit with homicide charges, and then claims that he is being unfairly targeted because he can no longer practice medicine to pay for an attorney.
Of course, Eastman could have easily avoided this little financial quagmire entirely by simply not breaking the law and not trying to steal an election. Despite the widespread misconception that has clearly permeated the air down at Mar-a-Lago, actions do in fact have consequences.
More than anything, Judge Roland’s recommendation proves that the legal guardrails of this country, while admittedly rickety at times, are still very much in place. Trump and his minions are doing everything to change this fact, but America is still a nation of laws.
Stay focused, stay energized.
Brian
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