‘This Is a Smoking Gun’: Former Prosecutor Reacts To ‘Damning’ Report That Trump Told Aide Not To Say Anything About Classified Docs He Took

Former President Donald Trump did himself no favors by reportedly telling an aide to keep quiet about government documents he stored at his Mar-a-Lago residence after he left the White House, a former prosecutor told CNN.

On Monday, ABC News reported that last year, Trump learned the FBI wanted to interview an assistant of his named Molly Michael. Trump reportedly told her, “You don’t know anything about the boxes.” The New York Times said it confirmed the report on Tuesday evening.

Trump is under federal indictment over what the government says was Trump’s willful retention of classified documents after leaving office, as well as his attempts to obstruct their retrieval.

During Tuesday’s edition of OutFront, host Erin Burnett asked Chris Timmons – a trial attorney and former prosecutor in Georgia – about the revelation.

“As a former prosecutor, when you look at this and this latest reporting, how significant is it?” she asked.

Timmons was fairly blunt:

So, Erin, in every case there’s gonna be a point during trial where a trial is won and lost. I don’t know if the former president will testify in Florida. And if he does, that’s probably the point where the trial is won and lost.

But if it isn’t, it’s this witness. She’s the key witness. She doesn’t have a prior inconsistent statement where she said something happened that didn’t. So, she makes a much stronger witness. And, on top of that, you know, she’s got just damning information. I mean, this is a smoking gun. And so, I think what we’re gonna see here is when this case goes to trial, if it goes to trial, her testimony, particularly her direct, and more importantly her cross-examination, is gonna be the key to whether the former president is convicted.

Trump has pleaded not guilty on all counts he faces.

Watch above via CNN.