Here are some of the legal news stories making headlines this week:
Former President Donald Trump is facing a number of legal challenges.
- In Manhattan, New York, a grand jury appears to be on the verge of indicting Trump for his alleged involvement in a 2016 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. This week, in a special episode of Stay Tuned, Preet Bharara was joined by former federal prosecutors Joyce Vance, Barbara McQuade, and Elie Honig to discuss, among other things, the timing of the expected indictment, the potential charges, and Trumpâs likely defenses.
- In the District of Columbia, a federal judge has ordered Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran to provide further testimony as part of special counsel Jack Smithâs investigation into Trumpâs handling of classified documents. In her ruling, which remains under seal, Judge Beryl Howell reportedly determined that Corcoranâs testimony should not be shielded by the attorney-client privilege, reasoning that prosecutors have sufficiently demonstrated Trumpâs use of his attorneyâs legal services in furtherance of a crime or fraud. On Wednesday, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an order directing the parties to comply with the lower courtâs ruling â rejecting Trumpâs effort to overturn the decision.
- In Fulton County, Georgia, Trump filed a motion to quash the special purpose grand juryâs report (and all evidence contained therein) detailing its findings from the investigation into Trumpâs alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump also asked the judge to disqualify Fulton County DA Fani Willis and her office from pursuing charges against him.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has rebuffed a request from three Republican House committee chairs demanding that Bragg provide information about his officeâs investigation into Donald Trump.
- This week, House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan, House Oversight Committee chair James Comer, and House Administration Committee chair Bryan Steil sent a letter to Bragg requesting that he testify before Congress about the Trump investigation. The congressmen also requested that Braggâs office provide documents and communications relating to the investigation as well as information about the officeâs use of federal funding.
- The congressmen wrote, âYou are reportedly about to engage in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority: the indictment of a former President of the United States and current declared candidate for that office.â The letter continues: âYour actions will erode confidence in the evenhanded application of justice and unalterably interfere in the course of the 2024 presidential election.âÂ
- On Thursday, Braggâs office responded with a letter rejecting the requests, for the most part, and calling it an âunprecedent[sic] inquiry into a pending local prosecution.â The letter continued: âDonald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene. Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry.âÂ
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