Calay News
A federal judge has ruled that Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Evan Corcoran, who was involved in turning over classified documents to the Justice Department, must provide additional testimony in the criminal investigation. The ruling overrides Corcoran’s objections to attorney-client privilege and marks a significant moment in the investigation into Trump’s unauthorized retention of national security materials and obstruction of justice.
The investigation could potentially lead to new avenues of information for the special counsel overseeing the case. The chief US judge for the District of Columbia, Beryl Howell, found that the justice department had shown sufficient evidence that Corcoran’s legal advice to Trump could have been used to further a crime. The obstruction part of the investigation is centered on Trump’s incomplete compliance with a subpoena in May 2022 that demanded the return of any classified documents in his possession.
The former president returned some documents to the National Archives, including 200 that were classified, but did not comply fully. Corcoran is among three Trump lawyers connected to the document case who have recently appeared before federal grand jurors in Washington. However, he declined to testify about his conversations with Trump relating to how they responded to the subpoena, citing attorney-client privilege protections that ordinarily shield such communications.
The other two lawyers, John Bobb and Alina Habba, have also appeared before the grand jurors. The investigation into the Trump documents could open up new avenues of information for the special counsel overseeing the case. This is a significant development that could reveal more details about the former president’s alleged involvement in the unauthorized retention of classified documents and obstruction of justice.
