New York Times correspondent and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman emphasized the significance of a recent development related to ex-President Donald Trump and a subpoena for classified documents during an interview with Wolf Blitzer. The development involves Trump lawyer Jennifer Little informing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s grand jury that she explicitly warned Trump about the criminal implications of ignoring the federal subpoena for classified materials.
Haberman noted that the revelation is significant because it sheds light on Trump’s state of mind and potential consciousness of guilt. She pointed out that multiple people in Trump’s legal circle, including attorneys Evan Corcoran and Jennifer Little, had advised him to comply with the subpoena. Haberman highlighted the fact that Trump sought opinions from various individuals, but all the advice he received from this particular group was consistent—compliance was necessary.
This development indicates that Trump was warned by different lawyers about the legal consequences of non-compliance. Haberman underscored the importance of this information in understanding Trump’s actions and decision-making process in the context of the ongoing investigation into potential Espionage Act violations. The consistency of legal advice to comply with the subpoena suggests that Trump received a unanimous response from those he consulted within this specific group.
BLITZER: In the Trump classified documents case, Maggie, you’ve reported that a second Trump attorney has now told the special counsel, Jack Smith, they also warned Trump that not complying with a subpoena for the classified materials would be a crime. How big of a deal is this?
HABERMAN: Look, it’s significant in the sense that this could speak to Trump’s state of mind. It could speak to consciousness of guilt. ABC was the first to report this. We confirmed the reporting with some additional material.
The reality is that several people, several lawyers in Trump’s orbit, but including these two, Evan Corcoran and Jennifer Little, warned him that you had to comply with a subpoena. He was, you know, seeking opinions from a number of people.
He, as he often does, tries to look for someone who is going to tell him what he wants to hear. Everyone he spoke to, at least from that group, said you must comply. And we know what happened after that.
