Phoenix- According to the Associated Press, Attorney John Eastman pleaded not guilty Friday to conspiracy , Fraud and forgery charges for his role in attempting to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in Arizona to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
John Eastman devised a plan to try to persuade congress not to certify the election. He is the first person charged in the Arizona Fake Elector case to be arraigned. Arraignments for 12 other individuals implicated in the case are set for May 21. Among them are nine of the 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely asserting that Trump had won Arizona.
According to the Arizona indictment, Eastman urged GOP electors to cast their votes in December 2020, attempted to persuade state lawmakers to alter the election results in Arizona without success, and informed then-Vice President Mike Pence that he could reject Democratic electors during the congressional counting of electoral votes on January 6, 2021.
Donald Trump was not charged but is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Arizona Case. Public charges have yet to be disclosed against Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and attorney closely associated with Trump. However, he is easily identifiable from descriptions in the indictment. Despite this, no arraignment date has been scheduled for Giuliani, and Arizona authorities have encountered challenges in serving him with the notice of charges.
Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows is scheduled for arraignment on June 7.
In the past year, Eastman faced indictments on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and related offenses concerning an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. He has entered a plea of not guilty to these charges in Georgia. Additionally, Eastman is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the extensive federal indictment filed in Washington against Trump. This indictment alleges efforts to overturn the 2020 election results leading up to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol.
Eastman made a brief statement outside the courthouse, saying the charges against him should have never been filed.
“I had zero communications with the electors in Arizona (and) zero involvement in any of the election litigation in Arizona or legislative hearings. And I am confident that with the laws faithfully applied, I will be fully exonerated at the end of this process,” Eastman said. He declined to make further comments.