John Eastman: Trump couldn't have had criminal intent because he really believed Mike Lindell's conspiracy theories

Attorneys representing former Trump lawyer John Eastman fired back at the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol attack by attempting to take apart the committee's claim that Trump had "criminal intent" with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

As Politico reports, Eastman's lawyers argued that Trump sincerely believed the conspiracy theories being peddled by many of his allies about a "stolen" election, even though many more of his advisers bluntly told him there was no truth to such claims.

"Eastman said, in essence, that the select committee’s claim that he might have broken the law belies the fact that Trump was receiving similar legal advice from numerous members of his inner circle," writes Politico. "That internal debate, Eastman contended, suggests a policy dispute, not a criminal conspiracy."

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Several former Trump officials, ranging from Attorney General Bill Barr to top campaign official Jason Miller, all said they did not believe the election was really stolen.

Despite this, Trump rejected their advice and sought counsel from more fringe outside figures such as attorney Sidney Powell and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

The House Select Committee is in this dispute with Eastman because it wants to access communications he had about his efforts to keep Trump in power.