Special Counsel Accuses Trump Of Misleading His Attorney About Classified Documents
Donald Trump has been accused of misleading his own attorney in the ongoing classified documents probe against the former president, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a sudden development to come as former President Trump awaits indictment in connection to alleged hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels in 2016, the Justice Department has reportedly convinced U.S. Judge Beryl Howell that Trump used one of his own attorneys “in furtherance of a crime or fraud” related to the separate classified documents investigation.
According to Judge Howell, the prosecutors in special counsel Jack Smith's office made a "prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations.”
As a result of the judge’s latest findings, Trump’s attorney-client privilege with lawyer Evan Corcoran cannot be used to shield the embattled ex-president’s alleged criminal activity.
Howell has also reportedly ordered Corcoran to hand over a series of records connected to Trump’s suspected “criminal scheme,” and the judge also ordered Corcoran to now comply with a grand jury subpoena demanding testimony on “six separate lines of inquiry” previously shielded by the attorney-client privilege.
"It is a lower hurdle, but it is an indication that the government had presented some evidence and allegation that they had evidence that met the elements of a crime," former Justice Department official Brandon Van Grack told ABC News on Tuesday.
Even more surprising was Howell’s finding that prosecutors in the probe provided “sufficient” evidence Trump “intentionally concealed” the existence of additional classified documents from Corcoran.
Because Trump “intentionally concealed” such information from his own lawyer, the former president put Corcoran in an “unwitting position” to “deceive” the federal government investigating the matter.
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In response to the latest development in the classified docs probe, and ABC News’ coverage of the development, Trump lashed out online.
"Shame on Fake News ABC for broadcasting ILLEGALLY LEAKED false allegations from a Never Trump, now former chief judge, against the Trump legal team,” the embattled ex-president wrote Tuesday night.
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"The real story here, that Fake News ABC SHOULD be reporting on, is that prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever," he added.
Trump’s legal team has been given a midnight deadline to respond to the new evidence presented in the case, at which point federal prosecutors will have until 6 AM to also respond.