Trump likely committed crime with plan to obstruct Congress, U.S. judge rules
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A U.S. judge ruled on Monday that former President Donald Trump “more likely than not” committed a felony by trying to pressure his vice president to obstruct Congress and overturn his election defeat on Jan. 6, 2021.
U.S. District Judge David Carter in Los Angeles made the assertion in a written ruling that found the House of Representatives committee probing the attack on the U.S. Capitol has a right to see emails written to Trump by one of his then-lawyers, John Eastman.
Carter said that Republican Trump’s alleged plan to overturn his November 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden amounted to a “coup.”
“The Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021,” Carter said in a written decision, adding: “The illegality of the plan was obvious.”
Trump’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Carter’s findings marked a breakthrough for the Democratic-led Jan. 6 Select Committee, which earlier this month said it believed Trump might have committed multiple felonies. The panel is expected to make a formal request to the U.S. Justice Department that it consider charging Trump.
