Trump DOJ demands 'action' against leaker who pilfered damning Jack Smith probe

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U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 29, 2025. REUTERS Kevin Lamarque

President Donald Trump ally U.S. District Judge Ailleen Cannon dismissed the president's Mar-a-Lago classified documents prosecution in 2024, the criminal case involving Trump’s alleged stealing and misuse of classified state documents after his first term. Critics say Cannon unquestionably granted Trump a huge favor, siding with defense lawyers who said special counsel Jack Smith, who filed the charges, was illegally appointed by the Justice Department.

In May, she then blocked the release of the files Smith and his team created. Nonprofits have since appealed Cannon’s decision blocking of the files on free speech grounds and fighting government corruption, to prevent the judge from destroying Volume II of the investigation.

But there’s a complication in the Trump team’s attempt to bury Smith’s investigation. Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, who formerly worked as a managing assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District, may have tried to mail the relevant documents of Trump’s damning investigation to her own email — and Trump’s politicized DOJ is still furious.

“The DOJ, which Donald Trump controls, has asked a judge who threw out the president's Mar-a-Lago classified documents prosecution to ‘consider further action’ after a former government lawyer was charged with stealing ex-special counsel Jack Smith's never publicly disclosed report on the probe,” Law and Crime reports.

The DOJ does not want the details of that case to appear in public, and they announced an indictment against Lineberger in May.

“The defendant concealed her actions by saving electronic copies of the government records in question under the misleading files names ‘chocolate cake recipe’ and ‘bundt cake recipe’ before electronically transmitting those records to her personal email accounts,” Trump DOJ alleged in May. “As to the DOJ report, the indictment further alleges the defendant acted knowing that her transmission of the record outside DOJ directly violated the court order and impaired the proper administration of the underlying criminal prosecution.

Still furious on Monday, apparently, Trump’s DOJ asked Trump’s vetted ally in U.S. District court to come down hard on Lineberger alleging to Cannon that her crimes are also a violation of the Cannon’s court order putting in place an injunction that has been protecting Trump from Smith’s embarrassing information since the start of 2025 and Trump's second term as president.

"This Notice is provided to disclose this alleged violation of the Order by a now-former Department of Justice employee to enable this Honorable Court to consider further action and sanction as deemed appropriate," the filing said.

“This Notice is provided to disclose this alleged violation of the Order by a now-former Department of Justice employee to enable this Honorable Court to consider further action and sanction as deemed appropriate,” the attorney’s argue.

It is up to Cannon to act — but if she does it will be an ironic slap to an alleged document thief who stole records related to Trump's own theft of documents case.

Lineberger has pleaded not guilty to theft, record alteration, and concealment charges,” reports Law and Crime.

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