Appeals court rejects Trump effort to withhold docs from special counsel

A federal appeals court this week denied a bid from former President Donald Trump's legal team challenging a court order that attorney Evan Corcoran surrender documents related to the ongoing Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation.

Special counsel Jack Smith had secured a court order on Friday that Corcoran surrender the materials, which a panel for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed on Wednesday, according to The Hill. The three justices on the panel were all appointed by former President Barack Obama.

The Department of Justice has alleged that Corcoran's legal advice may have furthered a crime, a circumstance in which a court may void attorney-client privilege. D.C. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ordered that Corcoran cooperate with the investigation with respect to questions he previously refused to answer due to that privilege.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to oversee the DOJ's Trump investigations following the former president's announcement that he would seek the presidency in 2024.

The FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on Aug. 8, 2022, seeking classified documents he may have removed from the White House. 

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.