Trump likely committed felony with plan to obstruct Congress, US judge rules

A US judge ruled on Monday that former president Donald Trump “more likely than not” committed a felony by trying to pressure his vice-president to obstruct Congress and overturn his election defeat on January 6, 2021.

The assertion was in a ruling that found the House of Representatives committee probing the deadly attack on the US Capitol has a right to see emails written to Trump by one of his then-lawyers, John Eastman. The judge said that Trump’s plan to overturn his defeat amounted to a “coup”.

“The Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021,” US District Judge David Carter in Los Angeles said in a written decision.

Representatives of Trump and Los Angeles-based Eastman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Carter has no power to bring criminal charges against Trump. That decision would need to be made by US Attorney-General Merrick Garland, for violations of federal law.

Before the mob stormed the Capitol, Trump gave a fiery speech in which he falsely claimed his election defeat was the result of widespread fraud, an assertion rejected by multiple courts, state election officials and members of his own administration.