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John Eastman, Federalist Society, Capitol Insurrection
- John Eastman testifies on Capitol Hill in 2017.
'A Federalist Society Star Helped Foment the Capitol Riot.' The Federalist Society has no comment. Mark Joseph Stern, Jan. 13, 2021. - Excerpts:
The Capitol mob didnt come out of nowhere. It was a response to the concerted attack on 2020s election results crafted by elite right-wing politicians, academics, and attorneys. No law professor played a bigger role in Donald Trumps plot to overturn the election than John Eastman. As the presidents actual attorneys backed away from his coup, Eastman rushed in to fill the void, attempting to bolster the scheme with incoherent legal theories. When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged the Supreme Court to overturn the election by nullifying millions of votes, it was Eastman who intervened on Trumps behalf to endorse Paxtons suit. When Trump exhorted Vice President Mike Pence to award him a second term by unilaterally disqualifying electoral votes, it was Eastman who advised Pence that he could, indeed, throw the election to Trump.
And when Trump needed a putative legal scholar to lend credence to his pre-insurrection rally, he brought out Eastman to deliver a speech alongside Rudy Giuliani, ringleader of the presidents efforts to steal the election.
It is no surprise that Eastman, a white supremacist on the far-right fringe of the conservative legal movement, played a major role in the presidents failed coup. What is remarkableand, with each passing day, extraordinarily damningis the Federalist Societys refusal to address Eastmans role in the insurrection. Eastman is not only a member of the Federalist Society, the network of conservative attorneys that provided the legal scaffolding for Trumpism. He is the chairman of the organizations Federalism and Separation of Powers practice group and a frequent participant in its public events. The Federalist Societys refusal to expel, condemn, or distance itself from Eastman in any way indicates that the organization is untroubled by the subversion of American democracy.
Eastman has spent much of his career promoting blatant lies. He gained notoriety in August when Newsweek published his column questioning the citizenship of Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris. Eastman argued that Harris may not be an American citizenand, thus, may not qualify for vice presidentbecause her parents had not become U.S. citizens when she was born. In reality, the Constitution guarantees beyond debate that the children of immigrants who are born in the United States become American citizens at birth. But Eastman has spent decades denying this fact, instead proposing the objectively false theory that these children do not receive birthright citizenship.
His racist theory would require the government to strip citizenship from millions of Americans, most of them nonwhite, and subject them to deportation. (Newsweek later apologized for running his piece.)
Despite the partisan activities of its leaders, the Federalist Society purports to be a nonpartisan debate club. Eastman uses the organization to amplify his most noxious claims and launder them into ostensible legal scholarship. Less than one month before the 2020 election, for instance, he participated in yet another debate about birthright citizenship sponsored by the Federalist Society that allowed him to trot out the nativist falsehoods peddled in his Newsweek piece. The organization has not (yet) given Eastman an opportunity to spout Trump-approved conspiracy theories about election fraud in 2020. But it hasnt expressed a word of disapproval about his participation in last weeks rally eithereven though Eastman delivered arguably the most deranged speech of the day...
More, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/01/john-eastman-federalist-society-capitol-insurrection.html
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John Eastman, Federalist Society, Capitol Insurrection (Original Post)
appalachiablue
Jan 2021
OP
There is way more evil to the Federalist Society than people realize. Here's what Sen. Sheldon
scarletwoman
Jan 2021
#4
UpInArms
(51,252 posts)1. The federalist society
Has long been a complete pool of depravity.
exboyfil
(17,857 posts)2. I don't think it will go well with Eastman
if he participates in the Impeachment Trial. What are the rules for attorneys in impeachment trials. In a regular trial neither Rudy G. nor Eastman could participate because they are participants in the events possibly even suspects.
Pantagruel
(2,580 posts)3. Apologists with law degrees
are much more dangerous than clownish , horned insurrectionists.
appalachiablue
(41,052 posts)7. You know it
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)4. There is way more evil to the Federalist Society than people realize. Here's what Sen. Sheldon
Whitehouse has to say:
https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/speeches/the-third-federalist-society
03.27.19
Within the Federalist Society, is an operation funded by dark money and designed to remake our judiciary on behalf of a distinct group of very wealthy anonymous funders.
Mr. President, this week, the Senate conveyor belt of President Trumps judicial nominees grinds on. So far, the president and the Senate leader have preserved an unprecedented pace in confirming federal judges, especially powerful federal appellate judges. They seem to have no higher priority.
Whats a little weird about this is that nearly 90% of Trumps appellate judges, and both his Supreme Court justices, are members of the so-called Federalist Society. On the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Alito, Thomas all are members. Now thats a little weird. Whats really weird is that through this Federalist Society vehicle, big special interests are picking federal judges.
-snip-
Federalist Society Control of Nominating Process
The story of the third Federalist Society is partly the story of a man named Leonard Leo, the Societys executive vice president. Mr. Leo is now the most influential person shaping our federal judiciary. Dont be surprised if youve listening and youve never heard of him. Hes never been elected. He is not accountable to any voter. Instead, hes the front man for interests that want to use the Federalist Society and its surrounding network of front groups, and PR shops, and think tanks to acquire control over our courts.
Renown court watcher Jeffrey Toobin describes Leo as Trumps subcontractor on the selection of Supreme Court justices. More accurately, Mr. Leo is the subcontractor for a network of big corporate interests and front groups. In the summer of 2016, it was Leo who delivered the list of potential nominees to fill the vacancy left by the death of Antonin Scalia and the blocking of Merrick Garland. It was Mr. Leo who was involved in the Trump transition, helping to conduct outreach to potential Supreme Court picks, including Neil Gorsuch. Mr. Leo even orchestrated a million-dollar donation to Trumps inauguration.
-snip-
Federalist Society Funders
Bad enough that judicial selection has been outsourced or in-sourced to a partisan entity. Worse is how non-transparent this all is. Its hard to find out whos behind it. Its a very non-transparent problem, but here is what weve been able to piece together. The evidence is that the Federalist Society is funded by massive, secret contributions from corporate right-wing groups that have big agendas before the courts. (my bold)
In 2017, the Federalist Society took $5.5 million via an entity called DonorsTrust. DonorsTrust's has its sole purpose to launder the identities of donors to other groups, so that Americans dont know the real backers of the groups. It is an identity removal machine for big donors. Through the hard work of investigators, journalists, and researchers, we have learned that the Koch brothers are among the largest, if not the largest, contributors to DonorsTrust. The Federalist Societys total annual budget is about $20 million, so this $5.5 million in funding laundered through DonorsTrust provides more than a quarter of its entire budget.
-snip-
What It Wants
While the apparatus may be complex and difficult to track, its goal is simple. Don McGahn has explained it succinctly:
Translated, that means the Federalist Societys goal is to pack the judiciary through judicial selection with judges who will deliver what is called regulatory reform. An extreme anti-regulation, anti-union, anti-environment agenda for those corporatist Federalist Society funders. (my bold)
03.27.19
THE THIRD FEDERALIST SOCIETY
Within the Federalist Society, is an operation funded by dark money and designed to remake our judiciary on behalf of a distinct group of very wealthy anonymous funders.
Mr. President, this week, the Senate conveyor belt of President Trumps judicial nominees grinds on. So far, the president and the Senate leader have preserved an unprecedented pace in confirming federal judges, especially powerful federal appellate judges. They seem to have no higher priority.
Whats a little weird about this is that nearly 90% of Trumps appellate judges, and both his Supreme Court justices, are members of the so-called Federalist Society. On the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Alito, Thomas all are members. Now thats a little weird. Whats really weird is that through this Federalist Society vehicle, big special interests are picking federal judges.
-snip-
I am here today to talk about that third Federalist Society.
Federalist Society Control of Nominating Process
The story of the third Federalist Society is partly the story of a man named Leonard Leo, the Societys executive vice president. Mr. Leo is now the most influential person shaping our federal judiciary. Dont be surprised if youve listening and youve never heard of him. Hes never been elected. He is not accountable to any voter. Instead, hes the front man for interests that want to use the Federalist Society and its surrounding network of front groups, and PR shops, and think tanks to acquire control over our courts.
Renown court watcher Jeffrey Toobin describes Leo as Trumps subcontractor on the selection of Supreme Court justices. More accurately, Mr. Leo is the subcontractor for a network of big corporate interests and front groups. In the summer of 2016, it was Leo who delivered the list of potential nominees to fill the vacancy left by the death of Antonin Scalia and the blocking of Merrick Garland. It was Mr. Leo who was involved in the Trump transition, helping to conduct outreach to potential Supreme Court picks, including Neil Gorsuch. Mr. Leo even orchestrated a million-dollar donation to Trumps inauguration.
-snip-
Federalist Society Funders
Bad enough that judicial selection has been outsourced or in-sourced to a partisan entity. Worse is how non-transparent this all is. Its hard to find out whos behind it. Its a very non-transparent problem, but here is what weve been able to piece together. The evidence is that the Federalist Society is funded by massive, secret contributions from corporate right-wing groups that have big agendas before the courts. (my bold)
In 2017, the Federalist Society took $5.5 million via an entity called DonorsTrust. DonorsTrust's has its sole purpose to launder the identities of donors to other groups, so that Americans dont know the real backers of the groups. It is an identity removal machine for big donors. Through the hard work of investigators, journalists, and researchers, we have learned that the Koch brothers are among the largest, if not the largest, contributors to DonorsTrust. The Federalist Societys total annual budget is about $20 million, so this $5.5 million in funding laundered through DonorsTrust provides more than a quarter of its entire budget.
-snip-
What It Wants
While the apparatus may be complex and difficult to track, its goal is simple. Don McGahn has explained it succinctly:
Regulatory reform and judicial selection are . . . deeply connected.
Translated, that means the Federalist Societys goal is to pack the judiciary through judicial selection with judges who will deliver what is called regulatory reform. An extreme anti-regulation, anti-union, anti-environment agenda for those corporatist Federalist Society funders. (my bold)
Please go to the link and read the while thing - it's extremely eye-opening!
appalachiablue
(41,052 posts)5. A force indeed & more influential as the years pass
Thanks for the information on this growing menace
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)6. You're very welcome.
What blows my mind is that it was just formed in 1982 - I had thought it went further back than that.
appalachiablue
(41,052 posts)10. Reaganism at work, the descent into extremism
badboy67
(460 posts)8. Usurpers in our midst.
Chicanery on their minds.
Grins
(7,134 posts)9. THAT'S THE GUY!!!!
Damn!!!!!
Been looking and looking to find out who that grinning Reich-winger who stood next to Rudy Horse-mouth Giuliani when he made his mortal combat reference.
It was EASTMAN!