John Eastman, a onetime lawyer for former President Trump, pleaded not guilty Friday in Phoenix on charges related to an alleged conspiracy to overturn Arizona’s 2020 presidential election results.
Eastman was among a group of Trump allies indicted in Arizona in late April for allegedly attempting to prevent the lawful transfer or power. They were charged alongside 11 pro-Trump Arizona Republicans who signed documents claiming to be the state’s valid electors in 2020.
Prosecutors have accused the defendants of creating a fraudulent scheme seeking to have election officials wrongfully overturn Joe Biden’s narrow victory.
Following the brief hearing in Phoenix, Eastman said, “I, of course, plead not guilty,” CNN reported.
He added he expects to be exonerated “at the end of this process.”
He was released from custody without conditions, the outlet reported.
Other Trump allies like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows have also been indicted.
A source told CNN that each defendant is expected to be fingerprinted and have a mug shot taken as they are processed.
Eastman is accused of creating a plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election and advised Trump to disrupt Congress’s certification of the results on Jan. 6, 2021. He denied any communication with the so-called fake electors, per the Arizona Republic.
“I had zero communications with the electors in Arizona, zero involvement in any of the election litigation in Arizona or legislative hearings, and I’m confident that if the law is faithfully applied, I will be fully exonerated at the end of this process” he said.