Judge orders Donald Trump’s lawyer to testify and turns over his private notes to the DOJ

A federal judge ruled on Friday that a lawyer for former President Donald Trump must testify in the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents.

She also turned over the lawyer’s private notes to the Department of Justice (DOJ), according to the Daily Beast.

Chief Justice Beryll Howell — in her final act before moving on to another post — ruled the DOJ could interview Evan Corcoran, who is representing the former president in the DOJ’s investigation into his alleged mishandling of records, CNN noted Friday.

Sources say Howell determined that prosecutors had met “the threshold for the criminal fraud exception for Corcoran,” according to CNN.

Reuters reported in February that Corcoran had retained his own attorney after testifying before a grand jury in January as part of the investigation into the documents.

A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team argued that the move signaled weakness in the prosecution’s case, according to CNN:

“Whenever prosecutors target lawyers, it’s usually a good indication that their underlying case is very weak. If they had a real case, they wouldn’t need to play corrupt games with the Constitution. Every American has the right to consult with a lawyer and have candid discussions – this promotes respect for the law,” the spokesperson said.

Politico reported that on Friday — the same day Howell gave the order — she stepped down as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The outlet noted that other members of the federal judiciary, including Howell’s successor, Judge James Boasberg, “grilled and sometimes roasted her,” taking a particular interest in her rulings on cases involving Trump. .

“What fascinating questions! » Judge Paul Friedman, “the court’s most senior jurist,” said, per Politico. “We would all love to read his opinions, but we can’t.”

Trump has always denied wrongdoing since his home in Mar-a-Lago was raided in August, saying in a statement that month that the documents in question had all been declassified and authorities could have simply requested the documents rather than conducting a search. search.