Eastman revealed the search and seizure in federal court in a case he filed in New Mexico on Monday, calling it incorrect.
About six federal investigators turned to a right-wing lawyer in New Mexico as he left a restaurant after dinner with his wife and friend, according to court documents. Agents were able to gain access to Eastman’s email accounts on his iPhone 12 Pro, the documents said.
Eastman is the last person whose communications became part of an extensive January 6 Justice Department investigation.
Eastman claims that the agents “forced” him to unlock his phone. A confiscation order document included in Eastman’s file states that all seized electronic device agents must be sent to Washington, D.C., or to the forensic laboratory of the Inspector General of Justice in Northern Virginia.
Eastman is asking a federal judge to force the Department of Justice to return his property, destroy the records he received and block investigators’ access to the phone.
The search and seizure came on the same day that federal agents raided the home of Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department lawyer involved in Trump’s election fraud conspiracies.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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