John Eastman denied knowing a ghost hunter was a ghost hunter

We may learn as soon as Tuesday the fate of the “independent state legislature” theory, the fringe notion backed by the likes of John Eastman that could give state legislatures unchecked control over federal elections. But while Eastman, the former Donald Trump lawyer who filed an amicus brief in that Supreme Court case, surely is anticipating the outcome of Moore v. Harper, he’s also fighting to keep his law license in a California proceeding that somehow led to him denying that he knew a ghost hunter was a ghost hunter.

Really. The subject arose in Eastman’s ongoing California State Bar disbarment hearing that stems from the same dirty pool of election denialism as the efforts to throw the 2020 election for Trump. Law360 reported Friday that Eastman, who advised Trump on how to retain the presidency despite losing to Joe Biden, “cited a truck driver’s affidavit as evidence of election fraud” but “didn’t know the witness was also a so-called ghost hunter because he did no research to assess his credibility.”

In December 2020, the York Daily Record described the truck driver as having “a lengthy history of drug abuse, mental health issues and allegations of domestic violence,” citing court records. The Pennsylvania newspaper also described him as apparently being an amateur ghost hunter who, with his brothers, made a documentary about their experiences with the paranormal.

According to Law360, Eastman said at his bar proceeding that he hadn’t known about the individual’s “ghost hunter” background — or done any research into the credibility of someone with supposed evidence of voter fraud.