Former Trump Lawyer A Prosecution Witness?

 

By grifting his cult followers and siphoning money from the broken Republican National Committee (thanks to his daughter-in-law Lara), the Malignant Loser has been able to employ a brigade of lawyers for his four major trials. For the most part, they range from the cynical opportunist (Chris Kise) to the moronic (Alina Habba). However one lawyer, Evan Corcoran, got spooked watching the Malignant Loser plot crimes right in his presence, spoke to the grand jury, and may be a critical witness for the prosecution in the stalled classified documents case. From Salon:

"As Donald Trump awaits trial over his handling of classified national security documents, his longtime attorney, Evan Corcoran, is leaving the former president's legal team. Citing multiple sources, CNN reported late Thursday that the departure is a significant blow to Trump, as Corcoran could be called as a key witness against him should the long-delayed trial go forward.

According to the indictment filed last year, Trump and associates conspired to hide boxes full of classified documents in Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in south Florida, and ignored demands to return them to the National Archives. Trump himself faces 40 felony charges, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

In the lead-up to the indictment, Corcoran appeared before an investigating grand jury to discuss his conversations with Trump after a district judge ruled that his personal notes and voice memos were not subject to attorney-client privilege.

Corcoran's notes were invaluable to prosecutors, providing a 'road map' to build the case." (our emphasis)

Corcoran's notes aren't subject to attorney-client privilege due to the crime-fraud exemption to that privilege when crimes are being discussed or committed in the attorney's presence. Corcoran was present when the Malignant Loser discussed obstructing the search for classified documents at his Merde o'Lardo estate by hiding classified documents from Federal authorities. The Malignant Loser has a well-known dislike of people who take notes in meetings with him, as we imagine crime bosses do too.

All of this will be moot if Trump loyalist judge Aileen Cannon has her way, with her stalling and incompetence. A trial on the stolen classified documents and obstruction won't begin until after the election, if then if the Malignant Loser prevails in November.

(photo: Corcoran and his criminal client. AP / Mary Altaffer, Pool)

(Posted by brother Hackwhacker) 

Lordy, There Are Tapes: Trump Lawyer Edition

Whether it's the infamous "find me 11,780 votes" tape of the Malignant Loser's phone call to Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in 2020, his deposition in the Carroll rape trial, or his recently revealed tape of him yakking about classified contingency plans for an attack on Iran, tape recordings will prove to be the ingredient that makes prosecutors' cases against him. That goes for contemporaneous tapes made by others. The attorney representing the Malignant Loser in the classified documents case, Evan Corcoran, routinely recorded his recollections on his iPhone as he represented the Malignant Loser, as the New York Times reports:

"In complete sentences and a narrative tone that sounded as if it had been ripped from a novel, Mr. Corcoran recounted in detail a nearly monthlong period of the documents investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Mr. Corcoran’s narration of his recollections covered his initial meeting with Mr. Trump in May last year to discuss a subpoena from the Justice Department seeking the return of all classified materials in the former president’s possession, the people said. 

It also encompassed a search that Mr. Corcoran undertook last June in response to the subpoena for any relevant records being kept at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida. He carried out the search in preparation for a visit by prosecutors, who were on their way to enforce the subpoena and collect any sensitive material found remaining there." (our emphasis)

The article points out that an attorney's work products and conversations are normally covered by attorney-client privilege. However, a Federal court ruled that was nullified in this case because of the "crime-fraud exception," indicating that the court believed that the attorney's work may have been used in furtherance of a crime. Corcoran's recordings are now in the hands of Special Prosecutor Jack Smith. More from the Times:

"Mr. Corcoran’s notes, which have not been previously described in such detail, will likely play a central role as Mr. Smith and his team move toward concluding their investigation and turn to the question of whether to bring charges against Mr. Trump. They could also show up as evidence in a courtroom if a criminal case is ultimately filed and goes to trial.

The level of detail in the recording is said to have angered and unnerved close aides to Mr. Trump who are worried they contain not only direct quotes from sensitive conversations."  (our emphasis)

The evidence of obstruction and violations of the Espionage Act by the Malignant Loser seem overwhelming, and an indictment should be forthcoming. In Corcoran's case, he may face sanctions or even criminal charges, giving weight to the observation that "MAGA" actually stands for "Making Attorneys Get Attorneys."