Former Trump lawyer and current co-defendant John Eastman, with RICO charges levied against him in Georgia just like Trump and 17 others, is in deep financial trouble.

He was never a good enough lawyer to be rich, but you don’t have to be that great to have some money, Eastman has basically none after all of his legal fees. And on the right-wing podcast Happy Hour with Julie and Liz, he said as much. He told his hosts that the defense fund he set up for people to contribute to had raised “less than a third of what we’ve already incurred and less than about a sixth or seventh of what we’re likely to incur before we’re done.”

“I’m trying very hard not to completely deplete my wife’s retirement fund,” said Eastman.

Eastman and his co-defendants, including Trump, are charged with attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. The convictions should be relatively easy to reach — all of the evidence is there, and pretty easy to explain.

But Eastman, when he surrendered to authorities in August, basically said he’d never take a plea deal:

“I am here today to surrender to an indictment that should never have been brought. It represents a crossing of the Rubicon for our country, implicating the fundamental First Amendment right to petition the government for redress of grievances,” said Eastman.

“My legal team and I will vigorously contest every count of the indictment in which I am named, and also every count in which others are named, for which my knowledge of the relevant facts, law, and constitutional provisions may prove helpful. I am confident that, when the law is faithfully applied in this proceeding, all of my co-defendants and I will be fully vindicated.”

That would be some kind of feat, indeed. With four of the defendants already having flipped on Trump and the rest, and with the notorious phone call that Trump made to the secretary of state right after the election was certified in Georgia, Eastman doesn’t stand much chance of just getting off scot-free.

But the arrogance it took to even get involved in this with Trump seems like it’s enough to have convinced quite a few of the defendants. Eastman is currently going through the process of being disbarred in California, which looks very likely. So we will lose his license to practice law. He lost his job, or “agreed to resign” from his position as a professor at Chapman Law School. And now he’s broke and Trump suddenly won’t take his calls. Eastman gave everything for Trump, and will end up in the poorhouse. And I guess he deserves it for trusting Trump.

In all seriousness, however — best of luck to Eastman’s wife.