Trump is ready to abandon attorney John Eastman after he was criticized in the Jan. 6 committee hearings, report says

• Donald Trump doesn't see why he should defend attorney John Eastman, Rolling Stone reported.
• Eastman is facing intense scrutiny from the Jan 6 committee.

Former President Donald Trump sees no reason to defend conservative attorney John Eastman, Rolling Stone reported.

The decision the outlet relayed came in light of the heavy scrutiny of Eastman in the Congressional Jan. 6 committee hearings, which detailed his role helping Trump try to overturn the 2020 election.

Citing two sources close to Trump, the outlet reported that the committee's focus on Eastman in its public hearings had bothered Trump.

The former president began distancing himself from the attorney, the sources told the outlet.

Eastman wrote a now-notorious memo detailing a last-ditch plan for Vice President Mike Pence to block Joe Biden's certification as president on January 6, 2021, at the Congressional proceeding which was interrupted by the Capitol riot.

Per Rolling Stone, Trump has taken to saying he "hardly" or "barely" knows Eastman, despite evidence that Trump contacted him for legal advice.

The former president has been asking about Eastman's potential legal troubles in private, reported the outlet, and has asked if Eastman is "going to jail."

Rolling Stone, citing three unnamed sources, said that Trump's legal team told him not to discuss Eastman in order to limit potential legal exposure.

The outlet cited one who said that "most people" loyal to Trump were "fine with him being left out on his own, to deal with whatever consequences he may or may not face."

Eastman, a former law professor with ties to the Claremont Institute think tank, was among the architects of Trump's plan to cling onto power after his 2020 defeat.

The January 6 commission has zeroed in on his activities before the Capitol riot.

Pence's attorney claimed that Eastman in a White House meeting two days before the riot claimed Pence had the authority to reject the official election count, opening a route to keep Trump in office. Pence rejected that advice.

The committee heard last Thursday that Eastman sought a pre-emptive pardon from Trump after the riot, which he did not get.

Insider has contacted Eastman and representatives for Trump to seek comment.