‘Grave Criminal Peril for Donald Trump’: CNN Legal Analyst Says Kash Patel’s Testimony in Mar-a-Lago Probe Means Trouble
CNN Legal analyst Norman Eisen said former President Donald Trump is in “grave criminal peril” after it was reported his ally Kash Patel will testify in the Mar-a-Lago documents probe.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday evening that Patel, a former Department of Defense official, has been given immunity in exchange for testifying before a grand jury:
Kash Patel, a close associate of former President Donald Trump, is set to soon testify before a federal grand jury probing the handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after receiving immunity for his information, people familiar with the matter said.
A federal judge recently decided the Justice Department couldn’t force Mr. Patel to testify without such protection against his statements being used against him in some future prosecution. That ruling, the people said, opens the door for Mr. Patel, who says Mr. Trump broadly declassified White House documents while still president, to answer questions.
Patel previously invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination while testifying before the grand jury. He has also stated publicly that he witnessed Trump declassify the documents at the heart of the investigation.
On CNN’s OutFront, host Erin Burnett reported on the news and asked Eisen for his thoughts on what Patel’s testimony might mean for the former president. Eisen said:
Erin, it signifies that in this investigation of the classified documents that the Department of Justice has found there is probable cause that crimes were committed when these documents were removed from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, that Kash Patel himself has some fear of self-incrimination.
That’s why you get an immunity order, because what you have to say could get you in criminal trouble. And, Erin, I think here it also signifies grave criminal peril for Donald Trump. Because it’s pretty unusual to give this immunity to a witness.
Eisen also said he believes the immunity is proof prosecutors believe Patel has “incriminating information about someone else.”
Watch above, via CNN.
