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“Bullseye for prosecutors”: Legal expert says lawyer’s testimony may mean it’s “game over” for Trump

Trump lawyer Jennifer Little warned Trump that refusing to turn over Mar-a-Lago docs after subpoena was a "crime"

Staff Reporter

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Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media at his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court on October 25, 2023 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media at his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court on October 25, 2023 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

An attorney for Donald Trump provided scathing evidence against the former president in his federal classified documents case in Florida, and CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said it may lead to a conviction once the case goes to trial. ABC News reported that Trump attorney Jennifer Little told a grand jury that she "very clearly" cautioned Trump that he must comply with a federal subpoena for classified materials he took from the White House, and that she's "absolutely" sure that he understood failing to turn them over would be a "crime." 

"This is a bullseye for prosecutors and right down the middle of what they have to prove for obstruction of justice," Honig, a former federal prosecutor, said of Little's comments. "Let's remember that it's the federal Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Part of the indictment relates to the mishandling of classified documents, and part of it relates to obstruction of justice," he added. Honig went on to say that a prosecutor in the case, in order to prove obstruction, would have to show that Trump knew he had a subpoena, had to comply and intentionally did not. "This witness, Trump's former — and, by the way, current lawyer — has told the grand jury straight up, no ambiguity, 'You have to comply, if you don't, it's a crime,' and he said, 'I got it, I understand,'" Honig explained, adding, "If the jury accepts that, game over, he's guilty."

By Tatyana Tandanpolie

Tatyana Tandanpolie is a staff reporter at Salon. Born and raised in central Ohio, she moved to New York City in 2018 to pursue degrees in Journalism and Africana Studies at New York University. She is currently based in her home state and has previously written for local Columbus publications, including Columbus Monthly, CityScene Magazine and The Columbus Dispatch.


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