A former senior federal judge wrote Friday in a confidential document that the special counsel's office has produced convincing preliminary evidence that former President Donald Trump consciously and willfully misled his lawyers about his storage of sensitive information after leaving the White House.
Sources said that US Judge Beryl Howell wrote last week that there was a "prima facie" indication that the former president had committed criminal offenses" and that, as a result, the attorney-client confidentiality used by two of his attorneys might be breached, according to ABC News.
Howell resigned as the top judge of the DC district court on Friday.
Judge Howell, in a sealed filing, ordered Donald Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran to cooperate with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on six lines of inquiry where he had previously invoked the attorney-client privilege.
Howell is said to have ordered Corcoran to turn up a number of Trump classified documents related to his alleged "criminal scheme," according to sources.
According to our sources, Howell concluded that the government had "sufficient" proof that Donald Trump "intentionally concealed" the presence of other confidential papers from Corcoran.
It's uncertain which material Howell examined under seal from DOJ and Trump's lawyers to make her verdict.
Donald Trump Calls Report 'Fake' News
Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted the ABC News report on Tuesday, calling the news story "fake."
Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington posted a statement on Twitter, wherein the ex-POTUS said: "Shame on Fake News ABC for broadcasting ILLEGALLY LEAKED false allegations from a Never Trump, now former chief judge, against the Trump legal team," per Fox News.
The statement furthered that the "disinformation is on par with their breathless Russia, Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, and 'no-collusion' Mueller speculation, all of which were totally disproven."
Trump Campaign Statement on Fake ABC News Story pic.twitter.com/bHVLFOqvEB
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) March 21, 2023
The appeals court's current Trump classified documents case is still under seal, but a judgment may be made as early as Wednesday morning, according to The Hill.
New York grand jury is also expected to make a judgment based on evidence given in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's probe into hush money payments, another possible legal burden for Donald Trump.
Related Article: MAGA Supporters Show Up in Manhattan
