Former Trump lawyer says evidence ‘overwhelming’ in Mar-a-Lago case
A former lawyer for Donald Trump who represented him in an earlier special counsel investigation has warned that the evidence revealed by Jack Smith in the Mar-a-Lago case is “overwhelming”.
Ty Cobb represented Trump during a period early in his presidency when he was being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller for alleged ties to Russia, which ultimately did not amount to the type of scandal the then-president’s detractors hoped would sink his administration.
But Cobb told CNN today that the charges in the Mar-a-Lago case brought by Smith, who was named a special counsel last year, are different. The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports on why:
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A former Trump White House lawyer said the evidence against the former president over his handling of classified documents was now “overwhelming” and would “last an antiquity”, after new charges were filed in the case on Thursday.
“I think this original indictment was engineered to last a thousand years and now this superseding indictment will last an antiquity,” Ty Cobb told CNN. “This is such a tight case, the evidence is so overwhelming.”
In June, the special counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump on 37 counts regarding his handling of classified records after leaving the White House.
On Thursday, in a superseding indictment filed in a Florida court, four more charges were outlined. A second Trump staffer, the Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira, was charged, alongside Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet. Nauta previously pleaded not guilty.
Key events
On CNN, a former federal prosecutor said the new charges against Donald Trump in the Mar-a-Lago case indicate special counsel Jack Smith does not believe the matter will be resolved before the 2024 presidential election.
The case is currently set for trial in May 2024, but Renato Mariotti told the network it’s likely to be pushed back:
“This is not something you do if you’re trying to get this done quickly before the [2024] election.”
— Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti says superseding indictment in the classified docs case against Donald Trump shows Jack Smith doesn’t think he will get a speedy trial pic.twitter.com/336N1fHTHP
— The Recount (@therecount) July 28, 2023
John Bolton reiterates call for Trump to end White House campaign
Donald Trump’s one-time national security adviser John Bolton is now among his many Republican foes. This morning, Bolton reiterated his call for the former president to end his White House campaign after the new charges against him:
I called for Trump to end his presidential candidacy after the first Federal indictment and do so again now after the second one. It is more “obstruction of justice as a way of life”: Trump’s pure selfishness and self-interest – not regard for principle or country. America will…
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) July 28, 2023
As the Guardian’s Hugo Lowell and Maanvi Singh report, special counsel Jack Smith has both leveled new charges against Trump, and indicted a third person over the secret government materials found at Mar-a-Lago:
Federal prosecutors on Thursday expanded the indictment against Donald Trump for retaining national security documents and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, unveiling new charges against him and an employee over an attempt to destroy surveillance footage.
The new charges – filed by the special counsel Jack Smith in Florida – were outlined in a superseding indictment that named Mar-a-Lago club maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira as the third co-defendant in the case. Trump’s valet Walt Nauta was previously indicted for obstruction with the former president last month.
Trump’s legal exposure in the classified documents case grew after he was accused of attempting to destroy evidence and inducing someone else to destroy evidence, as well as an additional count under the Espionage Act for retaining a classified document about US plans to attack Iran that he discussed on tape at his Bedminster club in New Jersey.
Former Trump lawyer says evidence ‘overwhelming’ in Mar-a-Lago case
A former lawyer for Donald Trump who represented him in an earlier special counsel investigation has warned that the evidence revealed by Jack Smith in the Mar-a-Lago case is “overwhelming”.
Ty Cobb represented Trump during a period early in his presidency when he was being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller for alleged ties to Russia, which ultimately did not amount to the type of scandal the then-president’s detractors hoped would sink his administration.
But Cobb told CNN today that the charges in the Mar-a-Lago case brought by Smith, who was named a special counsel last year, are different. The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports on why:
A former Trump White House lawyer said the evidence against the former president over his handling of classified documents was now “overwhelming” and would “last an antiquity”, after new charges were filed in the case on Thursday.
“I think this original indictment was engineered to last a thousand years and now this superseding indictment will last an antiquity,” Ty Cobb told CNN. “This is such a tight case, the evidence is so overwhelming.”
In June, the special counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump on 37 counts regarding his handling of classified records after leaving the White House.
On Thursday, in a superseding indictment filed in a Florida court, four more charges were outlined. A second Trump staffer, the Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira, was charged, alongside Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet. Nauta previously pleaded not guilty.
Trump legal peril increases with new charges
Good morning, US politics blog readers. Donald Trump is squarely in the cross hairs of federal prosecutors, who yesterday added new charges to the indictment brought against him in June for allegedly hiding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort. It is also possible that today, special counsel Jack Smith will unveil a new indictment against the former president related to his actions on January 6. Last week, Trump said he had received a letter formally telling him he was a target in the investigation and yesterday, his lawyers attended a meeting at Smith’s offices – both signs that an indictment could be near.
No former president has faced the sort of legal problems Trump is in, but there are also no signs yet that they’ve dented his standing among Republicans. He continues to lead polls among the party’s presidential candidates, and plans to spend this weekend rallying supporters in Erie, Pennsylvania. We’ll see if Washington has anything to say about the ongoing investigations against him today.
Here’s what else is happening:
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Congress has left town for its summer break, but only after the Senate passed a version of a crucial defense funding bill without the contentious provisions over abortion, transgender care and other culture ware issues that the House inserted in its version. This legislation must pass, and expect a big fight over it when lawmakers get back to work in September.
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All the main Republican candidates, including Trump, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott and Mike Pence will this evening speak at the Iowa GOP’s Lincoln Dinner.
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Joe Biden is heading up to Maine to promote his economic record, before flying to Delaware for a weekend on the beach.