{"id":2591647,"date":"2026-04-16T16:08:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T20:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-eastman-disbarred-for-doing-his-job-while-felon-who-faked-russia-hoax-docs-got-wrist-slap\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T16:10:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T20:10:41","slug":"john-eastman-disbarred-for-doing-his-job-while-felon-who-faked-russia-hoax-docs-got-wrist-slap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-eastman-disbarred-for-doing-his-job-while-felon-who-faked-russia-hoax-docs-got-wrist-slap\/","title":{"rendered":"Eastman Disbarred While Felon Who Faked Docs Got Wrist Slap"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjohn-eastman-disbarred-for-doing-his-job-while-felon-who-faked-russia-hoax-docs-got-wrist-slap%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2591647&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Federalist piece argues that John Eastman\u2019s California disbarment exemplifies a two-tier system of justice and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-anyone-should-be-disbarred-its-jack-smith-not-jeffrey-clark\/\" title=\"If Anyone Should Be Disbarred It&#039;s Jack Smith, Not Jeffrey ...\">bar discipline<\/a>,disproportionately punishing conservatives while allowing left-leaning figures like Kevin Clinesmith to regain status after lighter sanctions. It contends Eastman\u2019s actions-representing the President in litigation challenging the 2020 election-were a lawful job for a defense attorney, and that the bar\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >harsher treatment reflects political bias<\/a> rather than objective standards. The article contrasts eastman\u2019s ongoing fundraising for a defense fund and a Supreme Court challenge with Clinesmith\u2019s reinstatement and \u201cgood standing\u201d status,portraying a pattern of selective enforcement against conservatives. Quotes from Jeff Clark and Harmeet Dhillon are used to argue that this is part of a broader effort to weaponize institutions against political opponents. The piece frames the dispute as part of a larger debate over the integrity of legal institutions and the accountability of anti-Trump forces in the wake of the 2020 election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gBagFPdmbKU\">OC World \/ YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/16\/john-eastman-disbarred-for-doing-his-job-while-felon-who-faked-russia-hoax-docs-got-wrist-slap\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=John%20Eastman%20Disbarred%20For%20Doing%20His%20Job%20While%20Felon%20Who%20Faked%20Russia%20Hoax%20Docs%20Got%20Wrist%20Slap&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/16\/john-eastman-disbarred-for-doing-his-job-while-felon-who-faked-russia-hoax-docs-got-wrist-slap\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=John%20Eastman%20Disbarred%20For%20Doing%20His%20Job%20While%20Felon%20Who%20Faked%20Russia%20Hoax%20Docs%20Got%20Wrist%20Slap&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/16\/john-eastman-disbarred-for-doing-his-job-while-felon-who-faked-russia-hoax-docs-got-wrist-slap\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/16\/john-eastman-disbarred-for-doing-his-job-while-felon-who-faked-russia-hoax-docs-got-wrist-slap\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=John%20Eastman%20Disbarred%20For%20Doing%20His%20Job%20While%20Felon%20Who%20Faked%20Russia%20Hoax%20Docs%20Got%20Wrist%20Slap&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/16\/john-eastman-disbarred-for-doing-his-job-while-felon-who-faked-russia-hoax-docs-got-wrist-slap\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The &ldquo;two-tiered system of justice and of bar discipline&rdquo; has struck again, as former Trump official Jeffrey Clark put it, with the corrupt courts in California disbarring constitutional lawyer John Eastman for representing his client.<\/p>\n<p>Clark himself has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/01\/corrupt-dc-bar-moves-to-disbar-jeff-clark-after-restoring-license-of-russiagate-felon-kevin-clinesmith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">been the target<\/a> of that same system in Washington, D.C., where the &ldquo;two-tiered&rdquo; nature may be the most acute: Left-wing bars will disbar their political enemies, while simultaneously restoring the statuses of convicted Russiagate felons like former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1167695302\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;John [Eastman] represented the President in litigation challenging an election. That&rsquo;s all. He lied about nothing. Reasonable minds can disagree about the 2020 election,&rdquo; Clark <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JeffClarkUS\/status\/2044535155361006038?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posted<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">social media<\/a>. &ldquo;He did what lawyers are supposed to do &mdash; represent disfavored individuals. And make no mistake, the elites, especially in bar apparatuses, disfavor and hate President Trump and anyone associated with him with a burning passion. No one representing Vice President Gore was disbarred for losing Bush v. Gore where the whole partial county-specific recount strategy Democrat lawyers devised there was ruled an unconstitutional violation of equal protection.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Eastman lawfully challenged results in the 2020 election the left <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rigged\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rigged<\/a> in numerous ways. Eastman&rsquo;s job &mdash; and any lawyer&rsquo;s job &mdash; is to vigorously represent their clients, and for that, he was disbarred.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/10\/25\/democrats-campaign-to-disbar-john-eastman-is-designed-to-criminalize-republican-election-challenges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">targeting<\/a> of Eastman has been ongoing for some time, and was always aimed at destroying his life and livelihood while ensuring that left-wing forces can block conservatives from having proper, robust legal representation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is much bigger than my own bar license,&rdquo; Eastman <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Bannons_WarRoom\/status\/2044798791396536826?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in reaction to the disbarment. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s going on here is a leftist Marxist capture of our institutions and then weaponizing them to destroy any political opposition to the deep globalist state that is getting entrenched in this country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HarmeetKDhillon\/status\/2044783109703376903?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>, &ldquo;The chilling effect of this outrageous persecution of a lawyer for giving advice to his client &mdash; the President &mdash; cannot be overstated.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, left-wing Russia hoax operative Clinesmith, who was convicted of lying on a FISA warrant to advance the hoax and illegally spy on Carter Page, was reinstated after a short, one-year suspension, as The Federalist <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/01\/corrupt-dc-bar-moves-to-disbar-jeff-clark-after-restoring-license-of-russiagate-felon-kevin-clinesmith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>. Clinesmith&rsquo;s lies fueled the hoax that undermined the office of the president of the United States, preventing the American people from having the candidate they elected take office and govern as a fully functioning chief executive. Eastman&rsquo;s grave sin was simply offering strategies for challenging the questionable results of the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p>But the D.C. Bar appeared to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/12\/17\/dc-bar-restores-convicted-fbi-russiagate-forger-while-hes-still-serving-probation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bend over backward<\/a> to help Clinesmith to minimize damage and punishment. Conservatives do not have the same kind of institutional capture, and they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/article\/trump-and-his-allies-are-starting-to-face-accountability-for-their-plot-to-overturn-the-2020-presidential-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seem<\/a> to be almost exclusively the target of these kinds of weaponization operations.<\/p>\n<p>While Eastman is forced to raise money for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.givesendgo.com\/Eastman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legal defense fund<\/a> as he <a href=\"https:\/\/electionlawblog.org\/?p=155458\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seeks<\/a> a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn the disbarment, Clinesmith is an &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearinvestigations.com\/articles\/2021\/12\/16\/dc_bar_lets_convicted_fbi_russiagate_lawyer_back_in_good_standing_as_court_cuts_him_more_slack_807964.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">active member<\/a>&rdquo; in &ldquo;good standing&rdquo; with the D.C. Bar.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Breccan F. Thies<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreccanFThies\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@BreccanFThies<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/breccan-thies\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2020-2\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2020<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2020-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2020 Election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/california-bar-association\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">California Bar Association<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/carter-page\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Carter Page<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fisa\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">FISA<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/harmeet-dhillon\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Harmeet Dhillon<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jeffrey-clark\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jeffrey Clark<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/john-eastman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">John Eastman<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/kevin-clinesmith\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Kevin Clinesmith<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawfare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawfare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/russia-collusion-hoax\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Russia Collusion Hoax<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/russiagate\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Russiagate<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/weaponization\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Weaponization<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two-tier justice: Eastman disbarred; Clinesmith spared<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2591648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-16-142655.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8049,40439,4381,51639,41649],"class_list":["post-2591647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-accountability","tag-disbarment","tag-ethics","tag-law-2","tag-legalnews"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot-2026-04-16-142655.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2591647"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2591651,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2591647\/revisions\/2591651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2591648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2591647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2591647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2591647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}