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Donald Trump may still be waiting to see if he will pay a price for his election-related shenanigans. At least two of his supporters aren't quite so lucky, as the hammer was brought down upon them yesterday.
First up is John Eastman, one of the lawyers at the center of the scheme to steal the 2020 election. On Wednesday, a judge ruled that he should be disbarred, while also suggesting criminal prosecution would probably be appropriate. That latter suggestion was meant to apply to California, where Eastman is licensed, although it's also implicitly a suggestion that if and when he gets nailed in Georgia and/or Washington, he'll deserve it.
Eastman is going to appeal, of course, and there are theoretically two more layers of the California judicial system to which he can plead his case before his disbarment is official. That said, he hasn't got much of a defense here. Further, until he appeals AND wins, his law license is suspended. So, as of yesterday, he cannot practice in California. And the odds are that status will become permanent. Of course, his law license wouldn't do him much good anyhow, if he ends up in a Georgia hoosegow for much of the remainder of his days.
Meanwhile, Brian Pritchard, who is first vice chairman of the Georgia GOP, and is also a right-wing radio host, is more of a garden-variety crook. He was convicted of check forgery in Pennsylvania back in 1996. Under Georgia law, felons cannot vote until they have fully paid for their crimes (i.e., prison sentence, probation, any fines, etc.). Pritchard ignored this rule, and voted in nine different elections where he was not entitled to do so, while at the same time using his radio show to lament all the illegal votes being cast in Georgia. Partisan hack, heal thyself?
In court, Pritchard's argument was that he did not realize that his probation had been extended, and so didn't know he was breaking the rules. Judge Lisa Boggs didn't buy it, and she levied a $5,000 fine and ordered a reprimand from the State Election Board. Many Republicans want Pritchard to step down from his position in the Georgia GOP, since the only job available to Republicans who don't honor election law is President of the United States. He says he won't do it, though. (Z)