John Eastman, a conservative US attorney, is an aide to former US President Donald Trump. He reportedly made a blueprint of Trump’s legal strategy to overturn the 2020 presidential elections.

Eastman’s name was brought up in the January 6 committee‘s public hearings on Thursday. Liz Cheney, one of the Republicans on the panel, pointed out Eastman’s role in the Capitol insurrection.

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While not much is known about John Eastman’s life, his website says that he specialises in legal history and constitutional law. He also found the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, which has been defined as “a public interest law firm.”

John Eastman, 62, has a Ph.D. in Government from the Claremont Graduate School. He has also graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and has a BA in Politics and Economics from the University of Dallas.

Eastman has appeared in more than 100 crucial cases in the US Supreme Court, state Supreme Courts and US Courts of Appeals. These included Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, Kelo v. New London and Zelman v. Simmons-Harris.

How is John Eastman connected to Trump?

Eastman was the chief legal strategist in Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections. Hundreds of legal battles were launched across the United States, however, no evidence of voter fraud was found.

According to a court order passed by District Judge David O. Carter, Eastman contacted “sympathetic state legislators” in states like Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona. These states were the biggest electoral battlegrounds in the 2020 elections.

Also Read: Why Mike Pence will be central figure at Jan. 6 hearing

Eastman reportedly urged the legislators to discredit electors for then-President-elect Joe Biden and promote an alternate slate of electors who favoured Trump, NBC News reported.

A federal court ordered Eastman to hand over more than 150 documents from his office to the January 6 committee. These documents are believed to be part of a larger investigation that connects the former President to the Capitol riots.