Court orders conservative lawyer John Eastman to turn over 159 documents to Jan. 6 committee

Washington — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who devised the legal strategy to keep former President Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election, to turn over 159 documents to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who has been overseeing the records dispute between Eastman and the House panel, said the latest tranche to be disclosed are not covered by attorney-client privilege or protected work product, as the conservative lawyer asserted. The 159 documents were part of a broader batch of nearly 600 documents that Eastman fought to shield from the committee, 440 of which Carter said were privileged and protected from disclosure.

Carter, who sits on the federal district court in Santa Ana, California, gave Eastman until 5 p.m. Wednesday to give the 159 documents to the select committee, ensuring House investigators will have access to the records before their prime-time public hearing Thursday.