John Eastman: podcast appearances and interviews

John Charles Eastman, born in 1960, is an American legal scholar and a disbarred lawyer known for his involvement in the events surrounding the 2020 United States presidential election. He advised then-President Donald Trump and authored legal memos suggesting that Vice President Mike Pence could reject or delay certification of certain electoral votes, a view that was not adopted by Pence. Eastman served as the founding director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, which is affiliated with the Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank. He has also been a professor and dean at Chapman University School of Law. Eastman was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and has run for public office in California, including as a Republican nominee for California's 34th congressional district in 1990 and as a candidate for California Attorney General in 2010. During the final days of the Trump administration, Eastman played a role in efforts to challenge the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory. He advised Pence on January 5, 2021, that he had constitutional authority to reject electoral votes, a position that Pence rejected. Eastman also provided a plan to Senator Mike Lee to challenge electors from several states, which was also rejected. Following the events of January 6, 2021, Eastman spoke at the rally preceding the Capitol attack and retired from Chapman University amid controversy. He has faced multiple legal and professional repercussions, including disbarment and being listed as a co-conspirator in federal indictments related to attempts to overturn the election. In 2025, then-President Donald Trump issued Eastman a federal pardon in connection with these efforts, despite no federal charges having been filed at that time.