[ad_1]
CNN
—
A federal judge has ordered several former aides to Donald Trump, including Mark Meadows, to testify before a grand jury as part of a criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Multiple sources confirmed to CNN that he denied the executive privilege claim.
Trump’s legal team challenged special counsel Jack Smith’s subpoenas demanding testimony and documents from the former president’s White House chief of staff Meadows and several others, claiming executive privilege. .
In a sealed decision last week, then-Judge Beryl Howell criticized Meadows and other Trump administration officials subpoenaed by Smith, including former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and former National Security Adviser Robert Ohr. Dismissed claim of team privilege. Bryan and former Homeland Security official Ken Cuccinelli, sources told CNN.
Trump’s claims of privilege against other former White House advisers, including Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino, were also denied, the sources said.
A source familiar with the matter said Trump’s legal team plans to appeal the decision.
ABC News was the first to report the verdict.
Some of the witnesses who have already appeared before a grand jury but have refused to answer some questions about their interactions with Trump will probably have to come back.
Trump’s spokesperson condemned the decision in a statement, saying the Justice Department “seeks to undermine the long-accepted and long-held standards of constitutional attorney-client privilege and executive privilege. It continues to deviate significantly from the norm,” he said.
“Any lawsuit against President Trump has no factual or legal basis or substance. It corrupts the process and weaponizes the judicial system.”
O’Brien and Cuccinelli recently appeared before a grand jury after receiving subpoenas as part of the Smith investigation.
The investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 elections prior to the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol is one of two ongoing investigations overseen by Special Counsel Smith.
This is separate from state-level criminal investigations related to Georgia’s efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results, and separate criminal investigations in New York linked to adult It centers around the former president’s role in paying hush money to movie stars.
Smith also oversees a criminal investigation stemming from the discovery of classified documents recovered from Trump’s Mar-Arago residence.
This story has been updated with additional details.
[ad_2]
Source link
