Trump ‘Deliberately’ Misled His Own Lawyers On Classified Docs: Report

ABC News reported on Tuesday evening the federal prosecutors in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office “presented compelling preliminary evidence” that shows former President Donald Trump “knowingly and deliberately” misled his own attorneys regarding his unlawful retention of classified documents.

The report is based on a sealed filing written by a former federal judge, which sources described to ABC News. The report notes that U.S. Judge Beryl Howell “wrote last week that prosecutors” in the special counsel’s office made a “prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations.”

The report adds that Howell, who stepped down last week as the D.C. District Court’s chief judge, added that “attorney-client privileges invoked by two of his [Trump’s] lawyers could therefore be pierced.”

The report explains:

In her sealed filing, Howell ordered that Evan Corcoran, an attorney for Trump, should comply with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on six separate lines of inquiry over which he had previously asserted attorney-client privilege.

Sources added that Howell also ordered Corcoran to hand over a number of records tied to what Howell described as Trump’s alleged “criminal scheme,” echoing prosecutors. Those records include handwritten notes, invoices, and transcriptions of personal audio recordings.

Corcoran is at the center of the investigation into Trump’s attempts to retain classified documents due to a certified June 2022 letter declaring that after a “diligent search” of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate all documents were found and handed over and that no further documents were retained. Of course, that turned out to be false as the FBI seized a large number of additional documents in August 2022.

Prosecutors have reportedly asked Corcoran and Trump lawyer Christina Bobb, who signed the certified letter, about their role in both drafting and delivering the letter.

Trump responded to the ABC News story in typical fashion:

Trump Campaign Statement on Fake ABC News Story

“Shame on Fake News ABC for broadcasting ILLEGALLY LEAKED false allegations from a Never Trump, now former chief judge, against the Trump legal team. This disinformation is on par with their breathless Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine and “no-collusion” Mueller speculation, all of which were totally disproven. These leaks are happening because there is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump. The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle.

“The real story here, that Fake News ABC SHOULD be reporting on, is that prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever.

“President Trump is the only leader fighting for the Constitution in order to protect the American people from being abused by a crooked system.”