‘This Is Really a Test’ Because Trump’s Lawyers ‘Cannot Lie’ in Court: CNN Legal Analyst Explains Special Master Order

CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said former President Donald Trump is facing a real legal test.

On Thursday, Trump’s hand-picked special master asked his lawyers to state whether they believe the FBI lied about the seizure and nature of documents found at Mar-a-Lago in August where agents executed a search warrant.

Key to the request of special master Judge Raymond Dearie is whether they truly believe Trump declassified a trove of documents found at his Florida estate, as he has stated publicly. Dearie also cited Trump’s public claims the FBI planted evidence.

The Washington Post reported Thursday evening:

In a Thursday afternoon filing, U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Dearie — the special master — told Trump’s legal team to state by Sept. 30 whether they believe any of the seized items were incorrectly described in the Justice Department’s 11-page inventory list, which said some of the documents were highly classified.

Dearie also told them to say whether they are claiming that any items on the inventory list were not in fact taken from the premises.

The time-sensitive request puts Trump’s public claims about the raid to the test, as Trump is facing a court of law, and not the court of public opinion, Honig said.

On CNN’s OutFront, host Erin Burnett asked Honing to respond to the report. She noted Trump’s attorneys might be forced to back up his public claims, and asked, “What does this mean for Trump?”

Honig stated:

The power of our courts is they have a way of bringing out truth. Perhaps a person can get away with fudging the truth in their public statements, in the media, in their private life, in their business. But when you step into a court, ultimately, the judge or the jury will say, fine, that’s your allegation, now prove it.

And you can see the tension in Donald Trump’s legal team because they will not say the things in court about declassification and planting that he is saying because lawyers have an ethical obligation.

You cannot make a false statement to a court. You can argue aggressively for your client, you could try to poke holes in what the other side is doing, but you cannot lie. This is really a test for Donald Trump.

Watch above, via CNN.