Key Trump lawyer pulls out of Mar-a-Lago documents case: report
Evan Corcoran, one of former president Donald Trump's leading attorneys, recused himself from representing the 2024 hopeful in the ongoing Mar-a-Lago classified documents probe, The Washington Post reports.
Per CNN, the move does not come as a surprise, as Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith "forced" Corcoran "to testify without the shield of attorney-client privilege in front of the grand jury and prosecutors accused Trump of using his attorney to advance a crime."
CNN reports:
He first appeared before the grand jury in January but refused to answer questions that would have divulged his advice to Trump and their conversations, citing attorney-client privilege, a source previously told CNN. Prosecutors were then prompted to take the unusual step of fighting in court to force him to respond, and a federal court ruled prior to his reappearance in front of the grand jury in March that he could not withhold information any longer about communications he’d had with Trump leading up to the search.
READ MORE: Trump lawyer appears before federal grand jury in DOJ Mar-a-Lago documents probe
"The legal team handling all matters involving the special counsel — myself, James Trusty, John Rowley, Lindsey Halligan, and Evan Corcoran is intact and we continue to work closely with Evan as we do with the entire team to protect our client," Tim Parlatore, another Trump lawyer said in a statement.
The Post reports:
Trump and his legal team failed to comply with a subpoena in May demanding he return all documents with classified markings. The Washington Post reported last week that Smith's team has gathered new evidence pointing to potential obstruction by Trump, and Smith is seeking to determine whether there is enough evidence to ask a grand jury to charge him with obstructing the investigation.
As a result, according to The Post, the DOJ remains "focused on possible obstruction by Trump in the investigation into the documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home, and whether Trump took steps to impede or directed others to impede government efforts to collect all the sensitive records."
Corcoran will continue representing the former president in other cases including Smith's investigation into the Jan. 6 attack, anonymous sources told The Post.
READ MORE: 'Bench slap': Legal experts say court 'eviscerated' Trump judge for 'interfering' in Mar-a-Lago case
The Washington Post's full report is available at this link (subscription required). CNN's report is here.
