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U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered attorney Evan Corcoran
to testify after he invoked attorney-client privilege during a
prior grand jury appearance in January and refused to answer
investigators’ questions about his communications with Trump,
according to CNN, the Washington Post and other media outlets.
Corcoran did not immediately respond to a request for comment
from Reuters.
In a statement, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung did not confirm
the reports but said, "We will fight the Department of Justice
on this front and all others that jeopardize fundamental
American rights and values."
Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president in
2024, has accused the Justice Department of conducting a "witch
hunt" against him.
Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump for the
unlawful retention of national defense information at his
Florida estate and he is also investigating whether Trump tried
to obstruct the criminal probe.
In her ruling, Howell agreed with prosecutors that there were
grounds for a "crime-fraud exception" to attorney-client
privilege, according to the reports.
If Howell ruled on that basis, it means the judge concluded that
the Justice Department has evidence that communications between
Trump and Corcoran were used to further or cover up a crime.
Trump is facing multiple legal challenges and investigations,
including over his alleged efforts to overturn the results of
the 2020 presidential election and his alleged role in hush
money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied the
allegations.
(Reporting by Eric Beech and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by
Cynthia Osterman)
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