BREAKING: DC Appeals Court REJECTS Trump’s Appeal, Rules Attorney Must Testify Against Him and Turn Over Documents

By Sarah RumpfMar 22nd, 2023, 4:07 pm
 

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an appeal filed by former President Donald Trump seeking to block his attorney Evan Corcoran from testifying and turning over documents related to the ongoing investigation into classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

CNN senior crime and justice reporter Katelyn Polantz reported on the extraordinary ruling Wednesday afternoon, remarkable because of how rare it is for a court to find cause to pierce the attorney-client privilege and force an attorney to testify and produce evidence against his own client.

The court’s three-judge panel denied the requests filed by Corcoran and Trump’s legal team to put a stay on the case, which would have paused the case for additional appeals or legal proceedings, reported Polantz, thereby allowing the subpoena from the Department of Justice’s special counsel to go forward.

The ruling confirms the lower court’s finding that Corcoran must testify because the lower court judge found that he may have helped Trump in the perpetration or concealment of a crime, as the DOJ has argued in its pleadings.

Corcoran has been a “pretty central player for a very long time,” noted Polantz, “including before the FBI search found all of those documents at Mar-a-Lago last year,” participating in drafting a statement saying that they had completed searches and turned over all classified records in their possession, which obviously turned out to be incorrect.

The DOJ “really has wanted to ask more of Evan Corcoran,” said Polantz, and about his conversations with Trump.

“When you look at this, this is the sort of thing that could make or break a case,” she added. “Trump still has the opportunity to appeal, but he’s really running out of opportunities here.”

Watch above via CNN.

This is a breaking story and may be updated.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law & Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on the BBC, MSNBC, NewsNation, Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 7 Austin, The Young Turks, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and other television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe.