Judge orders Trump attorney to testify in classified documents investigation

A federal judge on Friday ordered Evan Corcoran, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, to testify before a grand jury related to his client's handling of classified materials.

District Judge Beryl Howell's ruling is the latest development in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation of Trump's alleged mishandling of classified materials, CNN reported. Corcoran has previously testified before the grand jury, but cited attorney-client privilege when refusing to answer some questions.

Howell sided with the Department of Justice, which had argued Corcoran must answer the questions given his conversations with the former president may have been part of an attempt to plan a crime.

Investigators previously asked about a prior statement Corcoran drafted in June of 2022 asserted there were no classified materials at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. The FBI later recovered documents marked classified during its Aug. 8, 2022, raid on the compound.

Smith is a relative newcomer to the investigations, as Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed him in November, following Trump's announcement that he would seek the presidency in 2024.

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