Politics

Feds Get a Warrant to Examine Contents of Pro-Trump Lawyer John Eastman’s Phone

NOWHERE TO HIDE

The filing says investigators are only allowed to probe the election-denying lawyer’s phone for “evidence of specific federal crimes or specific types of material.”

eastman_mtc1kp
Andy Cross/Getty Images

On Wednesday, the Justice Department said it had been granted a new search warrant to look at the contents of John Eastman’s phone, including emails and text messages. The department seized Eastman’s phone last month, after which the election-denying former attorney for President Donald Trump tried to block investigators from examining its contents. Yet a judge ruled that so long as the Justice Department obtained a warrant allowing them to look at relevant content—the very warrant it obtained Wednesday—the seizure was all kosher. As POLITICO reported, the filing specifies that investigators can only access “evidence of specific federal crimes or specific types of material” and says the warrant includes a “filter profile” that blocks investigators from examining privileged and private material. The Justice Department has been collecting evidence related to Eastman’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and pressure Republican-led state legislatures.

Read it at Politico

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.