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“As president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t,” Trump says, according to the transcript. CNN obtained the transcript of a portion of the meeting where Trump is discussing a classified Pentagon document about attacking Iran. The transcript of the audio recording suggests that Trump is showing the document he’s discussing to those in the room. Look, look at this,” Trump says at one point, according to the transcript. Look, look at this.”“Secret” and “confidential” are two levels of classification for sensitive government documents.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Trump, Jack Smith’s, he’s, Trump’s, Mark Meadows, Margo Martin, CNN Trump, Mark Milley, Susan Glasser, Milley, –, Smith, General Merrick Garland Organizations: CNN, “, Mar, White, Publicly, Trump, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Yorker, Defense Department, Justice Department Locations: Iran, Florida, Bedminster , New Jersey

Once he was sworn in as president, Mr. Trump reimbursed Mr. Cohen. Rather than publish her account, the tabloid suppressed it in cooperation with Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen, prosecutors say. Legal experts say that Mr. Trump and others appear to be at “substantial risk” of prosecution for violating a number Georgia statutes, including the state’s racketeering law. But if she were to prevail at trial, a judge could impose steep financial penalties on Mr. Trump and restrict his business operations in New York. Ms. James’s investigators questioned Mr. Trump under oath in April, and a trial is scheduled for October.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Jack Smith, Alvin L, Bragg, Stormy Daniels, Michael D, Cohen, Daniels, Karen McDougal, McDougal, Brad Raffensperger, Biden’s, —, Emily Kohrs, “ You’re, ”, “, Willis, Jan, Mr . Biden, Smith, Mike Pence, Mark Meadows, Letitia James, Mr, James, Donald Jr, Eric, Jonah E, Rebecca Davis O’Brien, Michael Gold, Michael Rothfeld, Ed Shanahan, Richard Fausset, Ashley Wong Organizations: Capitol, Manhattan, National Enquirer, Mr, ., The New York Times, Justice Department, Trump, Prosecutors, White House, Trump White House, New York, Civil, New Locations: Manhattan, Georgia, . Georgia, Fulton County, United States, Washington, Trump’s, New, New York, Bromwich

CNN —An aide to former President Donald Trump has been indicted in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the mishandling of classified documents from the Trump White House, two sources familiar with the indictment tell CNN. Walt Nauta’s indictment is the second in the special counsel’s investigation after Trump was indicted on seven counts on Thursday. Nauta was with Trump at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club this week. Investigators obtained surveillance footage showing Nauta and the worker moving boxes of the classified documents around the resort, CNN previously reported. Nauta had spoken to investigators repeatedly in the probe, at first telling them he hadn’t handled boxes or sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith’s, Walt Nauta’s, Trump, Nauta, “, ‘ Trump Organizations: CNN, Trump White House, Nauta, Patriot, FBI, DOJ, Mar, Trump, Street Journal Locations: Bedminster , New Jersey, Trump’s Florida, Beach

☆ Opinion: Trump’s federal charges put GOP’s ‘law and order’ image to the test
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Julian Zelizer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Next year will mark 50 years since President Richard Nixon resigned as a result of the Watergate scandal. The fact is that almost all of the serious Republican contenders were complicit in helping Trump at one point or another. The most important factor remains the intense partisanship that we see within the Republican Party. This intense partisanship also gave rise to an extreme theory of presidential power that has taken hold since Ronald Reagan was president. All of these factors have converged to allow Trump to remain the most powerful Republican in the room.

Persons: Julian Zelizer, Richard Nixon, Mike Pence, “, Donald Trump, Pence, Chris Christie, Trump, Nikki Haley, Sen, Tim Scott, acquit Trump, Ron DeSantis, – Trump, it’s, Ronald Reagan, —, Reagan, Viktor Orban, strongmen, It’s, — it’s Organizations: CNN, Princeton University, New York Times, America, Twitter, GOP, Republican, Trump, Former New Jersey Gov, Former South Carolina Gov, Florida Gov, Republican Party, Justice and Homeland Security, Republicans, Facebook, Hungarian Locations: Former, Florida, Trump

CNN —Former President Donald Trump allegedly kept classified documents at various places in his Mar-a-Lago resort, including a public ballroom, bathroom and a bedroom. Boxes of classified documents are stored inside the Mar-a-Lago Club's White and Gold Ballroom in this photo included in Donald Trump's federal indictment. The hallway to that storage room, according to prosecutors, could be accessible from “multiple outside entrances” including the pool patio. Boxes of classified documents are stored inside the Mar-a-Lago Club's Storage Room in this photo included in Donald Trump's federal indictment. Boxes of spilled documents are seen on the floor, in this photo included in Donald Trump's federal indictment.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Donald Trump's, Walt Nauta Organizations: CNN, FBI, Service, Trump, Mar, Prosecutors, Court, Southern District of, Credit Locations: Lago, Florida, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Mar

☆ Exclusive: Former White House official told federal prosecutors Trump knew of proper declassification process and followed it while in office
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Zachary Cohen Paula Reid | Zachary Cohen | Paula Reid | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

During those voluntary interviews, the former official told CNN there was a distinct difference in the line of questioning from prosecutors in the two probes. Speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, the former official said he told federal prosecutors that Trump knew the proper process for declassifying documents and followed it correctly at times while in office. Sources previously told CNN that Trump’s team returned some materials but not the document pertaining to Iran. “Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given,” Kelly told CNN. Most recently, Trump told CNN at a town hall that materials were “automatically declassified” when he took them.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, Trump’s, ‘, John Eisenberg, Eisenberg, “, Don McGahn, John Kelly, McGahn, Jack Smith, Donald Trump's Mar, Kelly, ” Kelly, Mark Meadows, Jack Smith’s, Meadows, Robert O’Brien, O’Brien, National Intelligence Richard Grenell, Robert Hur, Hur, Kathy Chung, empaneled, Mike Pence’s Organizations: Washington CNN, White House, CNN, Trump, Obama, Mar, The Justice Department, National Security Council, White, National Archives, Department of Justice, Trump’s, Trump’s Mar, Prosecutors, National Intelligence, Biden Locations: Delaware, Russia, Iran, Lago

CNN —Former President Donald Trump has been indicted in the special counsel’s classified documents probe, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, a stunning development that marks the first time a former president has faced federal charges. Ongoing investigationsTrump has railed against the special counsel investigation and the other probes into his conduct, claiming they are all efforts to stop him politically. After federal investigators retrieved documents from the resort in June, his lawyers later told investigators that they had searched the storage area and that all classified documents were accounted for. In recent months, prosecutors heard from dozens of witnesses, including Trump aides and employees of Mar-a-Lago and the Trump Organization. Prosecutors obtained an audio tape of Trump talking about a classified Pentagon document during a 2021 Bedminster, New Jersey, meeting.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, ”, ” Trump, General Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Joe Biden, Fani Willis, Fmr, Lago Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Biden Administration, Justice, Trump, Biden Justice Department, Trump Organization, Democratic, Senate, Trump’s, FBI, Prosecutors, DOJ, National Archives, Mar Locations: Miami, Manhattan, Lago, Fulton County, Georgia, Mar, Washington ,, Florida, Bedminster , New Jersey

The sources have been informed of the target letter and its contents but had not seen it themselves. Justice Department regulations allow for prosecutors to notify subjects of an investigation that they have become a target. Once informed, a target has the opportunity to present evidence or testify to the grand jury if they choose. Last August, FBI agents retrieved more than 100 classified documents from Mar-a-Lago after obtaining a search warrant. Most of the witnesses have appeared before a grand jury in Washington, DC, but in recent weeks a federal grand jury in Florida has heard testimony from multiple witnesses.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Jack Smith’s, Smith, Maggie Haberman, Mark Meadows Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, Prosecutors, DOJ, Trump, Justice, The New York Times, White, FBI, Mar, White House Locations: Lago, Florida, Washington ,

☆ Growing GOP field isn’t selling primary voters on why they should ditch Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —The Republican presidential field is growing almost by the day, but no candidate has yet offered an effective answer to GOP primary voters on the race’s most compelling question – why they should ditch Donald Trump. Nikki Haley has been on the trail for weeks, appearing in a CNN town hall on Sunday in Iowa. No Republican voters will weigh in for at least six months in early state contests. There’s even less evidence that GOP voters believe that Trump’s legal problems disqualify him from serving as their nominee. In an NBC News poll in April, 68% of Republican voters believed that investigations into Trump were politically motivated attempts to stop him.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Doug Burgum, –, Trump, Chris Sununu –, CNN’s Dana Bash, He’s, ” Sununu, Haley, Scott, Asa Hutchinson, Pence, DeSantis ’, DeSantis, ” Trump, Sean Hannity, Mickey Mouse, Ukraine’s, Vladimir Putin, ”, Putin, Ronald Reagan, There’s, Jean Carroll, quagmire Organizations: CNN, Republican, GOP, Former New Jersey Gov, Tuesday . Florida Gov, South, South Carolina Gov, North Dakota Gov, Trump, New, New Hampshire Gov, Washington Republicans, Republican Party, Republicans, Fox, Walt Disney Company, Cabinet, United Nations, NATO, Justice, NBC Locations: Tuesday, Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Trump, Arkansas, Florida, Russian, Ukraine, Baltic, –

Prosecutors have been examining any effort to obstruct the Justice Department’s investigation after Trump received a subpoena in May 2022 for classified documents. Subpoenas for surveillanceAgents first subpoenaed the Trump Organization for Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage last summer, before the August search by the FBI. But as more classified documents were found through the end of last year, investigators sought more surveillance footage from the Trump Organization, sources tell CNN. Corcoran found about three dozen classified documents, and he turned them over to FBI agents the following day when investigators came to Mar-a-Lago on June 3. In March, a judge ordered Corcoran, who has recused himself from representing Trump in the Mar-a-Lago case, to provide additional testimony.

Persons: Donald Trump’s Mar, Department’s, Trump, Jack Smith, Lago, Walt Nauta, Donald Trump, Jabin, Matthew Calamari Sr, Matthew Calamari Jr, Nauta, Evan Corcoran, Corcoran, Barrett Prettyman, Kevin Dietsch, “, subpoenaing Corcoran, hadn’t Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, White, Prosecutors, Mar, Trump, Trump Organization for Mar, FBI, Trump Organization, Justice Department, Palm Beach, Washington Post, DOJ, Justice, House, The, Department Locations: Florida, Mar, Lago, Trump, West Palm Beach , Florida, Washington , DC

personnel conducted this investigation,” Mr. Parlatore said. Along with the classified documents case, prosecutors under Mr. Smith are also scrutinizing efforts by Mr. Trump and his aides to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The letter to Mr. Garland was an abbreviated version of a longer one that contained a more detail account of the concerns by Mr. Trump’s lawyers, according to two people familiar with the matter. The legal team’s visit to the Justice Department came amid indications that Mr. Smith is approaching the end of his investigation into the documents case and could soon make a decision about whether to seek charges. The initial letter to Mr. Garland was directly confrontational, accusing officials at the Justice Department of showing favoritism to President Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who is under criminal investigation by the department.

Persons: “, ” Mr, Parlatore, that’s, Peter Carr, Smith, Garland, Trump, Biden, Hunter Biden Organizations: Justice Department, Mr, Capitol, Justice

☆ Why the Trump tape is so important for the documents investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The main takeaway for me: prosecutors must determine if classified information meets a sort of Goldilocks test. It is about criminalizing (the information) being kept outside of a protected area, even by somebody who is allowed to have classified information. … All of the discussion has been about how Trump and others may have handled documents after knowing there’s a criminal investigation that exists. We know there’s an obstruction of justice investigation around that. A key thing in an obstruction of justice investigation is knowing that there’s a proceeding that you could potentially be obstructing, like a criminal investigation.

Persons: Donald Trump’s Mar, Trump, Katelyn, we’ve, – that’s, It’s, there’s, he’s, they’ve, We’re, Donald Trump, Margo Martin, … Trump, Bob Woodward, Woodward, WOLF, I’m, Mark Milley, …, Mueller, There’s, Justice Department won’t Organizations: CNN, White, Fox News, Justice Department, Trump, FBI, Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Lago, Iran, CNN’s Washington, New Jersey, Bedminster, Mar, Florida, POLANTZ, Washington , DC, what’s, Russia, Durham, litigate

☆ Exclusive: Trump attorneys haven’t found classified document former president referred to on tape following subpoena
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kaitlan Collins Paula Reid Katelyn Polantz | Kaitlan Collins | Paula Reid | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

On the recording, Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran. Over the course of the Justice Department’s investigation, prosecutors have expressed skepticism that all classified documents had been returned. The federal government recovered dozens of documents with classified markings from Trump at various points throughout 2022. The audio of Trump acknowledging he had a classified document undercuts Trump’s repeated claims that he declassified everything he took from the White House when he left office. Trump attorney Jim Trusty declined to say on CNN this week whether the document was ever returned to the National Archives.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Mark Milley, Trump’s, wouldn’t, Milley, Jack Smith, Smith, “, ” Trump, Mark Meadows, Margo Martin, That’s, Martin’s, Jim Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, Joint Chiefs of Staff, White, Lago, Trump, National Archives, Archives, Justice Department, Fox News, Bedminster, Milley Locations: Bedminster , New Jersey, Iran, Lago, Florida, declassify

The recording indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. Meadows didn’t attend the meeting, sources said. The revelation that the former president and commander-in-chief has been captured on tape discussing a classified document could raise his legal exposure as he continues his third bid for the White House. On the recording and in response to the story, Trump brings up the document, which he says came from Milley. However, there’s no indication Trump followed the legally mandated declassification process, and his attorneys have avoided saying so far in court whether Trump declassified records he kept.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Jack Smith, Mark Milley, Trump’s, Mark Meadows, Margo Martin, Meadows, Trump “, ”, Dave Butler, Martin, Olivier Douliery, Susan Glasser, Milley, Glasser, ” Milley, Honig, They’ve Organizations: CNN, Federal, White, Justice Department, Trump, Prosecutors, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Milley, Capitol, Getty, Yorker, National Archives, Records Administration, The Justice, Lago, Office, Fox News Locations: Iran, Bedminster , New Jersey, Washington ,, AFP, New, Milley, Lago, Florida, Bedminster, Trump

☆ Former Trump Lawyer Describes Conflict Inside Legal Team
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Alan Feuer | Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A conflict inside former President Donald J. Trump’s legal team erupted into public view on Saturday as one of his former lawyers went on television to attack one of his current lawyers, who has been the focus of ire from others on the team. The former lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, withdrew this past week from representing Mr. Trump in the special counsel’s investigations into his handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. But Mr. Parlatore did not explain the reasons behind his departure at the time, saying only that it was not related to the merits of the inquiries. Appearing on CNN on Saturday, Mr. Parlatore disclosed that his departure had been spurred by irreconcilable differences with Boris Epshteyn, another lawyer who has been working as something akin to an in-house counsel for the former president, hiring lawyers and coordinating their efforts to defend Mr. Trump. Mr. Parlatore described how Mr. Epshteyn had hindered him and other lawyers from getting information to Mr. Trump, leaving the former president’s legal team at a disadvantage in dealing with the Justice Department, which is scrutinizing Mr. Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving office and his efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.

☆ Exclusive: Special Counsel investigating Trump set to receive 16 records showing he knew process to properly declassify documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jamie Gangel Zachary Cohen Evan Perez Paula Reid | Jamie Gangel | Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Trump and his allies have insisted that as president, Trump did not have to follow a specific process to declassify documents. The 16 records may help federal investigators overcome a significant obstacle to a potential prosecution of the former president. The special counsel was also given access to other records not challenged by the Trump team. Ultimately, the special counsel identified the 16 records in question as relevant to the grand jury investigation. “You have the Presidential Records Act.

☆ Takeaways from special counsel John Durham’s report on FBI’s Russia-Trump probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Special counsel John Durham released his final report on Monday in which he casts doubt about the FBI’s decision to launch a full investigation into connections between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. The report does not ultimately fulfill the expectations set by former President Trump and his allies who have long claimed that it would prove the FBI’s investigation was nothing more than a political witch hunt. That finding was at the core of Durham’s most scathing criticism of the FBI’s decision to launch a full investigation. “Strzok, at a minimum, had pronounced hostile feelings toward Trump,” Durham wrote, while quoting in a footnote previously known texts between Strzok and Lisa Page, then an FBI attorney. Witness testimony exposed the FBI’s overreliance on the dossier as it sought court approval to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser in 2016.

CNN —Prosecutors for special counsel Jack Smith have been asking questions in recent weeks about the handling of surveillance footage from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort after the Trump Organization received a subpoena last summer for the footage, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. Prosecutors are expected to ask them about the handling of the surveillance footage and Trump employees’ conversations following the subpoena, according to the sources. Calamari Sr., the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Trump Organization, has primarily overseen security operations for Trump and his properties during his decadeslong career working for Trump. His son, Calamari Jr., is director of security for the Trump Organization. An attorney for Calamari Sr. did not respond to a request for comment.

☆ GC Agenda: May 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Practical Law The Journal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Clawback Listing StandardsPublic companies should be aware that proposed NYSE and Nasdaq clawback listing standards may be in place earlier than expected. Organizations may use biometric data in a variety of ways, including when:tracking employee time; restricting access to physical and digital assets; monitoring consumer shopping behavior; and integrating biometric data into consumer products and services. Consider whether the organization’s current policies and procedures meet applicable biometric data handling requirements, including notice, consent, retention, storage, and security obligations. Review applicable laws and obligations when contracting with service providers that handle biometric data and continuously monitor their performance. In February 2023, the NYSE and Nasdaq filed proposed new listing standards, which contemplated that they could become effective as early as April 27, 2023.

☆ Increasing Law Department Diversity
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Michelle Graham | Practical Law | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +17 min

Create a law department DEI committee consisting of diverse law department employees to:evaluate the law department’s DEI status; develop a plan and a budget to increase or maintain law department diversity; and monitor and promote the success of the law department’s DEI initiatives. Incentivize law department employees to refer diverse candidates for job openings by paying them a referral bonus if the law department hires those candidates. Retaining Diverse Law Department EmployeesWhile recruiting and hiring diverse employees for the law department requires continuous effort, retaining them once hired presents another challenge. Discuss initiatives the law department has taken to increase and maintain DEI in the law department, such as creating a DEI hiring committee. (For more on how law departments can improve DEI at their outside law firms, see Increasing Law Firm Diversity and Increasing Law Firm Diversity: Presentation Materials on Practical Law; for general guidance on working with outside counsel, see Working Effectively with Outside Counsel Checklist on Practical Law.)

CNN —Former Vice President Mike Pence testified on Thursday to a federal grand jury investigating the aftermath of the 2020 election and the actions of then-President Donald Trump and others, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The testimony marks a momentous juncture in the criminal investigation and the first time in modern history a vice president has been compelled to testify about the president he served beside. “I think that the vice president, you know, had his own case based on the Speech and Debate Clause. He was pleased that for the first time a judge acknowledged that it applied to the vice president of the United States,” Short said in an interview on NewsNation afterward. President, I don’t question there were irregularities and fraud,” Pence wrote that he told Trump.

☆ Trump loses appeal to block Pence from testifying about direct communications
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Katelyn Polantz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump has lost an emergency attempt to block former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying about their direct conversations, in the latest boost to a federal criminal investigation examining Trump’s and others’ actions after the 2020 election. The former president has repeatedly tried and failed to close off some answers from witnesses close to him in the special counsel’s investigation. This latest order from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals likely will usher in Pence’s grand jury testimony quickly – an unprecedented development in modern presidential history. This is a breaking story and will be updated.

CNN —Special Counsel Jack Smith has expressed interest in audio tapes recorded by former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg while she worked at the right-wing network, her lawyer said. Grossberg attorney Gerry Filippatos told CNN on Wednesday that he has given a spreadsheet to the special counsel’s team, detailing the nearly 90 audiotapes in Grossberg’s possession. “We’re in the process of negotiating a targeted subpoena for Abby’s electronic data, so they can have what they want,” Filippatos said. Federal investigators initially reached out several weeks ago, after some of the tapes were aired by news outlets, Filippatos said. Fox vehemently denies these allegations and has said her lawsuits are “riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees.”A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.

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