Trump's lawyer testifies to DoJ about two other lawyers

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English + Agencies
11 Oct 2022 11:47

New information published by NBC reveals that Trump's lawyer did not take part in drafting the statement that was handed over to the DoJ claiming that Trump had handed in all sensitive documents.

Former US President Donald Trump.

Sources for NBC revealed that Christina Bobb, Donald Trump's lawyer and previously custodian of records, did not take part in drafting the statement that was handed over to the Justice Department claiming that Trump had handed in all sensitive documents.

According to the report published by NBC, Bobb, who spoke to federal investigators last Friday, stated in the session that she was asked by Evan Corcoran, Trump's other lawyer who was in charge of the case back then, to sign the certification statement after he drafted it himself.

The US federal government discovered more than 700 pages of classified material from former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence back in January, in addition to material seized by FBI agents on August 8, where the agents were conducting a court-authorized search related to the potential mishandling of classified documents that had been sent to Mar-a-Lago.

The sources, who wished to remain anonymous, told NBC that Bobb informed the federal investigators that she agreed to sign the certification only after a disclaimer was added, stating that her signature comes “based upon the information that has been provided to me.” The sources further added that the lawyer told the investigators that the information at the time was provided by Evan Corcoran, noting that she had to insist twice on that disclaimer before signing it, adding that Bobb is not criminally liable: "She is not going to be charged. She is not pointing fingers. She is simply a witness for the truth.”

Christian Bobb also told investigators in the Justice Department about Boris Ephsteyn, the former president's legal advisor, that according to her testimony was not part of the statement drafting and his role was very limited to discussion regarding the sessions.

Former US President Donald Trump has tried to accuse Joe Biden and the "sleazy Democrats" of attempting to bar him from running for office again by using a Justice Department investigation into his potentially illegal storage of piles of government papers at his Florida estate, and has declared that the president can declassify sensitive documents "just by thinking about it."

Trump allegedly instructed his attorneys to submit a proposal to the National Archives Administration suggesting to give back the classified records at his Mar-a-Lago residency in return for records definitively proving that the FBI faked its disastrous 2016 investigation into charges of coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Trump's attorneys were believed to have backed down once it became evident that the government had the authority to retrieve the documents Trump brought with him to his home without offering anything in exchange

Evan Corcorona and Christina Bobb, according to prosecutors who submitted a motion to US appeals court, might be considered witnesses rather than defendants.

The justice department appears to view Bobb and Corcoran as witnesses instead of potential defendants, even if that can change without warning: in a motion to the US appeals court for the 11th circuit, prosecutors wrote that Trump’s lawyers might be “witnesses to relevant events”.

The raid led to Trump facing a criminal investigation over potential violations of the Espionage Act and additional statutes relating to obstruction of justice, as well as the destruction of federal government records, according to the search warrant executed by FBI agents at the former President's home.

The National Archives said in February it had recovered 15 boxes of documents from Trump's Florida estate, which The Washington Post reported included highly classified texts, taken with him when he left Washington following his reelection defeat.

The documents and mementos - which also included correspondence from ex-US President Barack Obama - should by law have been turned over at the end of Trump's presidency but instead ended up at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

The recovery of the boxes raised questions about Trump's adherence to presidential records laws enacted after the 1970s Watergate scandal that require Oval Office occupants to preserve records related to administration activity.