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A look into the ‘Eastman Derangement Syndrome’ fundraising pitch

February 12, 2026

You’ve heard of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and “Obama Derangement Syndrome.”

Meet “Eastman Derangement Syndrome”!

“A former colleague of mine wrote me this week with an observation about the lawfare assault I have been battling for four long years,” said a recent fundraising pitch from John Eastman, aiming to offset the $2 million he said his legal defense has cost.

“He said those who are pushing it, especially partisan Democrat prosecutors, suffer from EDS – Eastman Derangement Syndrome…. Indeed, the entire reason I am being persecuted – and prosecuted – by the lawfare left is because of my association with President Trump when I represented him back in 2020 to bring forth challenges to that election….

“Will you step forward with a generous gift of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500 or even $1,000 or more to the John Eastman Legal Defense Fund?”

Not to quarrel with the former Chapman Law dean, but the folks “persecuting” Eastman (in Arizona and California) argue that he’s in the legal crosshairs for committing legal sins, from fashioning dubious plans to help Trump hold on to power in 2020, to testifying inaccurately to state legislatures, to advising others on filing false state electoral certification documents, to riling up the crowd at the “Stop the Steal” rally with “crazy talk” about hidden folders in voting machines and massive fraud that did not, in fact, exist, on Jan. 6, 2021.

The California State Bar charged him with moral turpitude, dishonesty and/or corruption, willful misconduct and/or gross negligence, for trying to reverse the legitimate results of an election and essentially yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. Federal Judge David O. Carter concluded it was “more likely than not” that federal crimes were committed in trying to obstruct the congressional count of Electoral College votes.

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021. (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

Eastman was criminally charged in Georgia and pleaded not guilty, but that case is kaput. He was criminally charged in Arizona and pleaded not guilty, but that case is stalled. His law license is on ice in California and he’s fighting to save it, but it’s an uphill battle to get it reinstated.

“In my view, those most seriously afflicted with EDS are prosecutors in Arizona and California,” Eastman’s email continued. “One wants to put me in prison for decades while the other wants to bar me from ever practicing law and fighting for conservative constitutional principles and the rule of law.”

“These EDS prosecutors, along with others similarly afflicted, have cost me nearly $2 million defending myself. And as it happens, I am in the midst of what could be the final battles in Arizona and California where we’re going toe-to-toe with EDS Democrats in the state Supreme Court of each of these states. These legal battles are difficult and expensive, and I urgently need your help to prevail. My legal defense fund is nearly empty. Please consider a generous donation to help me continue the fight.”

John Eastman (left) at a rally in support of President Trump in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6 with former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani (.JACQUELYN MARTIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

He signed it, “John C. Eastman, Constitutional Scholar, Former Attorney to President Doanld (sic) Trump.”

Eastman received a federal pardon from President Trump in November — a “Federal Deflection Shield,” some called it — but it cannot protect Eastman from state charges or losing his law license.

Seeking millions

We’ve been trying to keep an eye on Eastman’s fundraising — donations are not tax-deductible — but that has become more difficult as of late.

He began his appeals on the Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo several years ago, asking for $200,000. That ask rose to $500,000, then to $750,000, and stands now at $1.5 million. GiveSendGo shows a tally of the contributions — along with a public comment thread that sometimes takes on the tenor of holy war — and Eastman has raised shy of $1 million there ($938,800 at this writing). Donations still arrive with encouraging messages like “You are a true patriot!” and “Praying you’ll be vindicated.”

That said, GiveSendGo apparently is no longer the preferred platform. Eastman’s recent requests direct potential donors to a different site, the John Eastman Legal Defense Fund, at https://johneastmanlegaldefensefund.com. That one does not show a running tally of what’s been donated, and it doesn’t allow public-facing comments. It does, however, restate his case.

Detail of a flyer for a John Eastman event at the CAGOP Convention in Burlingame the weekend of May 17

“Dr. John Eastman, President Trump’s dedicated lawyer and advisor, is facing relentless challenges due to his unwavering commitment to election integrity and constitutional rights,” the site says. “His legal battles have incurred substantial expenses, and he urgently needs your support.”

We asked Eastman and his attorneys how donations are going on this platform. But who’s really eager to talk about money? We haven’t heard back.

Given Trump’s “revenge tour,” the text on this site can be startling reading.

“For the past four years, America’s justice system has become an ‘injustice’ system,” it says. “It has been weaponized and used against political enemies of Joe Biden and the Democrats. There is no person in America outside of President Trump himself who has been more viciously and unfairly targeted by the weaponized justice system than me.

“I’ve had a target put on my back by the despicable Jack Smith, been indicted in two states, and had my law license put on ‘inactive’ status – all by partisan prosecutors…. As America turns a page in Washington, please help me turn a page in battling the lawfare left by stepping forward with a generous donation today to the John Eastman Legal Defense Fund. I urgently need your support….

“America is on a road to being the shining city on a hill that President Reagan so famously and eloquently described. I know that Donald Trump is completely committed to making America great again. As part of that objective, I hope you will help me and President Trump make America JUST again by defeating the lawfare left. Thank you for whatever you can do at this historic moment.”

A look into the ‘Eastman Derangement Syndrome’ fundraising pitch Orange County Register

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A look into the ‘Eastman Derangement Syndrome’ fundraising pitch

Seeking millions

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