The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge David Carter marked a major legal victory for the House panel, as seen in the correspondence between Eastman, the lawyer who consulted with Trump as he tried to overturn the presidential election.
“Based on the evidence, the Court considers it more likely that President Trump attempted corruption to disrupt the Joint Congressional Session on January 6, 2021,” wrote Carter, who was nominated by former President Bill Clinton in a decision submitted to the Federal District of California.
Eastman sought to withhold documents from the commission on the basis of a lawyer-client claim between him and the former president.  The commission responded earlier this month, arguing that there is a legal exception that allows for disclosure of communications about ongoing or future crimes.
Charles Burnham, a lawyer representing Eastman, said in a statement on Monday that his client was responsible for his lawyer’s privilege and that his lawsuit against the commission “seeks to fulfill that responsibility”.
“This is not an attempt to ‘hide’ documents or ‘obstruct’ congressional inquiries, as the January 6 committee falsely claims,” ​​Burnham said.
The commission’s March 3 testimony was their most formal attempt to link the former president to a federal crime.  Legislators do not have the power to prosecute on their own and can only refer to the Ministry of Justice.  The ministry investigated last year’s uprising, but gave no indication that it was considering seeking charges against Trump.
The commission claimed in court documents that Trump and his associates were involved in a “criminal conspiracy” to prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the House of Representatives.  Trump and his associates subsequently spread false information about the outcome of the presidential election and pressured government officials to overturn the results, possibly violating several federal laws, the commission said.
The treasure trove of documents released so far by the nine-member committee, which includes some emails already recovered from Eastman, provides an early look at some of the committee’s possible conclusions, which are expected to be submitted in the coming months.  The commission says it has interviewed more than 650 witnesses as it investigates the violent siege by Trump supporters, the worst attack on the Capitol in more than two centuries.