Evidence suggests Trump 'deliberately' mislead his own attorneys: special counsel
A new report is confirming details about a federal judge's recent sealed filing which explains how former President Donald Trump "knowingly and deliberately misled his own attorneys about his retention of classified materials after leaving office."
According to ABC News, inside sources have confirmed U.S. Judge Beryl Howell recently wrote that prosecutors in U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith's office made a "prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations."
Also in the filing, Howell included an order for former Trump attorney Evan Corcoran to "comply with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on six separate lines of inquiry over which he had previously asserted attorney-client privilege."
Sources have also indicated that Corcoran has been ordered to submit a number of records that are said to be connected to what Howell and multiple prosecutors have described as being part of an alleged "criminal scheme" involving the former president.
Per the news outlet, "those records include handwritten notes, invoices, and transcriptions of personal audio recordings."
According to Howell, prosecutors have managed to provide substantial evidence that suggests Trump actually did commit crimes.
However, the judge also indicated that prosecutors are still tasked with meeting "a higher standard of evidence in order to seek charges against Trump, and more still to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."
Speaking to ABC News, former DOJ national security official Brandon Van Grack weighed in on the evidence in the case.
"It is a lower hurdle, but it is an indication that the government had presented some evidence and allegation that they had evidence that met the elements of a crime," Van Grack told ABC News.
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