Donald Trump lawyer in court after being forced before grand jury
CTV
A lawyer for Donald Trump was back in court Friday after being ordered to answer questions before a grand jury investigating the possible mishandling of classified documents at the former president's Florida estate.
A lawyer for Donald Trump was back in court Friday after being ordered to answer questions before a grand jury investigating the possible mishandling of classified documents at the former president's Florida estate.
M. Evan Corcoran entered federal court in the District of Columbia early Friday morning, one week after a federal judge ruled in favour of the Justice Department in forcing Corcoran to answer additional questions before a grand jury that has been hearing testimony for months. He did not make any comments as he arrived at the building.
The interest by prosecutors in Corcoran's testimony underscores the legal peril confronting Trump, making clear the department's continued focus on whether Trump obstructed government efforts to recover hundreds of classified documents taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago at the end of his term.
A search warrant affidavit released last August showed that investigators were examining potential violations of multiple crimes, including obstruction and the willful retention of national defence information.
Corcoran is relevant to the investigation because he drafted a letter that was given to the department last June asserting that a "diligent search" for classified documents had been done in response to a subpoena. The letter was accompanied by the return of roughly three dozen documents with classified markings.
But prosecutors have said in court filings they developed evidence showing that additional classified documents remained at the property. The FBI returned with a search warrant on Aug. 8 and removed roughly 100 additional classified documents, the filings show.
Attorney-client privilege traditionally shields lawyers from being forced to share details of their conversations with prosecutors. Corcoran invoked that privilege during an earlier appearance before the grand jury when he declined to answer certain questions.
