Donald Trump’s primary defense attorney is expected to testify Friday to a federal grand jury, answering questions in the documents probe that the former president unsuccessfully fought to hold back.
The attorney’s appearance before the grand jury this week has the potential to make or break the special counsel’s investigation into the handling of classified records at Mar-a-Lago and possible obstruction of justice when the federal government tried to get the documents back.
Evan Corcoran, the attorney, has been told by the federal court he cannot withhold information any longer about communications he had with Trump, his client, leading up to the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago last summer. He was also ordered earlier this week to turn over notes he had considered to be his written work as an attorney in the probe. Corcoran would have had a window into many of the moments where Trump and his team were responding to the federal government’s efforts to get classified documents back.
Prosecutors have made clear in court proceedings that are still under seal that they believe Trump tried to use Corcoran to advance a crime.
A Trump spokesperson criticized the recent developments, saying, “Prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever.”
When Corcoran first testified to the grand jury in January, he was asked about what happened in the lead up to the August search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. But he declined to answer, prompting the prosecutors to take the unusual step to fight in court to force him to respond.
Prosecutors now want to ask Corcoran about his interactions with Trump regarding a May subpoena and subsequent search for classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. They also want to know about the statement Corcoran crafted in June 2022 – which claimed a “diligent search” had been conducted of boxes moved from…
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