Trump attorney ordered to testify in classified documents investigation: Report
Misty Severi
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An attorney for former President Donald Trump was ordered on Friday to testify in front of a grand jury in the investigation of Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left the White House.
Judge Beryl Howell of the District Court for the District of Columbia determined that Justice Department prosecutors had met the requirements for the crime-fraud exception to be applied for attorney Evan Corcoran as he is called to testify, a source told CNN. The order was made under seal.
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The testimony is expected to feature additional information from Corcoran, who previously testified in front of the grand jury. In his initial appearance, Corcoran blocked answering certain questions due to attorney-client privilege. Because the exception will be applied, Corcoran’s new testimony is expected to touch on the lead-up to the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last August, which Corcoran refused to talk about in January.
Corcoran allegedly prepared a draft statement in June, which claimed that the former president’s team had conducted a “diligent search” for classified documents that were missing from the National Archives and Records Administration. The statement also said no classified documents were found at Mar-a-Lago, but an FBI raid on the resort in August found dozens of boxes, and some of them contained classified documents.
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The ruling from Howell is one of her last sealed orders related to the case, as she will leave her leadership role later on Friday. Corcoran’s testimony is expected to be one of the most important in the investigation.
The order comes a day after subpoenas were issued for other members of Trump’s trusted inner circle and a wider range of staff at the Mar-a-Lago resort.