A federal judge ruled that Special Counsel Jack Smith presented evidence that Donald Trump lied to his attorneys and committed classified documents crimes.
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Trump knowingly misled his lawyers and committed crimes in classified documents case, “A federal judge has ruled that the special counsel investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents has presented compelling preliminary evidence that Trump broke the law.” pic.twitter.com/mSs9pei3aE
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 21, 2023
Prosecutors in the special counsel’s office have presented compelling preliminary evidence that former President Donald Trump knowingly and deliberately misled his own attorneys about his retention of classified materials after leaving office, a former top federal judge wrote Friday in a sealed filing, according to sources who described its contents to ABC News.
U.S. Judge Beryl Howell, who on Friday stepped down as the D.C. district court’s chief judge, wrote last week that prosecutors in special counsel Jack Smith’s office had made a “prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations,” according to the sources, and that attorney-client privileges invoked by two of his lawyers could therefore be pierced.
Jack Smith’s evidence goes to the heart of a potential obstruction of justice case. Trump intentionally lied to his lawyers to obstruct the government from getting the classified documents that he stole back into the hands of the American people.
How does the Special Counsel know that Trump knowingly lied to his lawyers? It has been reported that Jack Smith’s investigation is going deep into Trump’s life. Smith is interviewing dozens of people who work at Mar-a-Lago.
The nation is focused on the looming Trump criminal indictment in New York, but the classified documents case is looking more serious by the day. Manhattan might be getting all of the attention today, but Jack Smith and DOJ are coming up fast on Trump with much more serious potential criminal charges.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
