Jack Smith, Special Counsel, has been trying to jail Donald Trump because he mishandled classified documents. The latest setback is a major one.
Newsweek reports that a former prosecutor suggested that Special Counsel Jack Smith might be prevented from using evidence in grand jury files against Donald Trump, which had been transferred this week to the Florida classified documents case of the former president. In 2023, the Washington, D.C. grand jury heard testimony from witnesses, including Trump’s lawyer Evan Corcoran, while deciding whether to bring charges against the former president for hoarding classified information. Trump and his coaccused were indicted later in Florida, and under federal rules, the grand jury files were transferred to Trump’s appointed judge Aileen Cannon on Monday.
Bill Shipley, a former prosecutor, said that the transfer of the D.C. case to Florida allows Judge Cannon to control what evidence is included–especially any testimony that may have violated the attorney-client privilege.
Yes but….
As I said at the time, because the case wasn’t going to be prosecuted in DC, the rulings made as part of the grand jury investigation are not binding on Cannon.
She can exclude Corcoran as a witness by upholding the claim of privilege.
She can preclude SCO Smith… https://t.co/54zioSnzgX
— Shipwreckedcrew (@shipwreckedcrew) March 26, 2024
Newsweek has more:
Corcoran, a former FBI agent, was forced to appear before a grand jury for classified documents in Washington D.C. on March 24, 2023. This was his second appearance in court.
Corcoran had to testify because, in a letter sent to the Department of Justice on June 20, 2022, he stated that a “diligent” search for classified documents was conducted. Corcoran sent to the Department of Justice, along with the letter he wrote, more than 30 documents marked classified that were discovered on Trump’s property.
Department of Justice Special Attorney Smith announced Monday that Washington, D.C., Court had transferred grand jury files to Cannon.
Trump faces 40 federal charges for his handling of sensitive material retrieved from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach Florida after leaving the White House. The federal authorities accuse him of blocking their efforts to return the materials. The former president has denied all charges.
Judge Cannon’s rulings are often triggered by leftists. This is probably because she is not as rabid a leftist as Judge Engoron who ordered Trump to pay a civil penalty of almost half a million dollars for an act that did not occur and had no victim.
Jack Smith’s prosecution against Trump has been widely criticized as selective prosecution. This is especially true in light of last month’s Hur report, which revealed that Biden had “willfully retained classified materials and disclosed them after he became vice president when he was just a citizen” and that these actions “present[ed] a serious risk to national security.”
Former special counsel Robert Hur refused to prosecute Biden despite his actions because he could present himself as “an elderly man with a bad memory” and that it would be hard to convince a juror he’s guilty of a serious crime because to commit a felony “requires mental state of intent.” The report went on to say that Biden didn’t remember when he became vice president or when his son Beau passed away.
