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Did Donald Trump ‘Obstruct’ Justice?

Trump attorney Evan Corcoran, who was tasked with searching for classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, says he was obstructed from searching former President Donald Trump’s office.

President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a "Keep America Great" rally at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a "Keep America Great" rally at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona.

Donald Trump attorney Evan Corcoran, who was tasked with searching for classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, says he was obstructed from searching former President Donald Trump’s office. The Guardian noted that several aides told him to search a storeroom where documents were deposited after Trump moved out of the White House.

Corcoran found 38 classified documents in that room. He told prosecutors the documents were the extent of the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. The FBI later found 101 classified documents at Mar-a-Lago including in the former president’s office.  

His grand jury testimony does not make it clear who kept him from searching the office. Getting Corcoran to testify was accomplished by convincing the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in March to pierce attorney-client privilege because the lawyer might have been used by Donald Trump to further a crime.

District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that Special Prosecutor Jack Smith had proven a “prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations.” Howell also instructed Corcoran to hand over handwritten notes, invoices, and personal audio recordings.

Did Donald Trump Keep Corcoran From Doing Thorough Search?

Trump and his valet Walt Nauta knew where Corcoran had to search because Nauta had to unlock the storeroom for him to enter. As soon as Corcoran entered the storage area he realized he needed a deadline extension because he was the only one dealing with the subpoena of the documents. The number of boxes that needed examination exceeded his estimate necessitating an extension. 

As the June 2 deadline approached he asked if there were other locations at Mar-a-Lago where he should search and was told the storeroom he examined was the only one that needed to be looked through.

The Guardian noted that told the Justice Department in his June 2 filing that  “records that came from the White House were stored within one location at Mar-a-Lago, the storage room … [and] he was not advised there were any records in any private office space”.

When the FBI returned in August with a search warrant, it found two classified documents in Trump’s desk drawer.

“This is completely false and rooted in pure fantasy. The real story is the illegal weaponization of the justice department and their witch-hunts targeted to influence an election in order to try and prevent President Trump from returning to the White House,” an unnamed Trump spokesperson told The Guardian.

Moved Documents Becoming Increasingly Important

The Washington Post reported last week that Trump and his aides allegedly carried out a dress rehearsal for moving sensitive papers in May 2022.

“Prosecutors in addition have gathered evidence indicating that Trump at times kept classified documents in his office in a place where they were visible and sometimes showed them to others, these people said,” the Post reported. “Taken together, the new details of the classified-documents investigation suggest a greater breadth and specificity to the instances of possible obstruction found by the FBI and Justice Department than have been previously reported.”

Prosecutors may use this to help establish criminal intent on Trump’s part.

Trump’s attorneys are reportedly seeking a meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland. Attorneys John Rawley and Jim Trusty wrote the following May 23 letter to Garland:

“We represent Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States, in the investigation currently being conducted by the Special Counsel’s Office,” it read. “Unlike President Biden, his son Hunter, and the Biden family, President Trump is being treated unfairly. No President of the United States has ever, in the history of our country, been baselessly investigated in such an outrageous and unlawful fashion. We request a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss the ongoing injustice that is being perpetrated by your Special Counsel and his prosecutors. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

John Rossomando was a senior analyst for Defense Policy and served as Senior Analyst for Counterterrorism at The Investigative Project on Terrorism for eight years. His work has been featured in numerous publications such as The American Thinker, Daily Wire, Red Alert Politics, CNSNews.com, The Daily Caller, Human Events, Newsmax, The American Spectator, TownHall.com, and Crisis Magazine. He also served as senior managing editor of The Bulletin, a 100,000-circulation daily newspaper in Philadelphia, and received the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors first-place award in 2008 for his reporting.

Written By

John Rossomando is a senior analyst for Defense Policy and served as Senior Analyst for Counterterrorism at The Investigative Project on Terrorism for eight years. His work has been featured in numerous publications such as The American Thinker, Daily Wire, Red Alert Politics, CNSNews.com, The Daily Caller, Human Events, Newsmax, The American Spectator, TownHall.com, and Crisis Magazine. He also served as senior managing editor of The Bulletin, a 100,000-circulation daily newspaper in Philadelphia, and received the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors first-place award in 2008 for his reporting.

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