In classified docs case, Trump tantrum follows DOJ meeting with lawyers

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UPDATE (June 6, 2023, 5:15 pm ET): This story has been updated with additional information about the grand jury proceedings in the investigation into classified documents by special counsel Jack Smith, including a report that the Washington, DC, grand jury may be in recess. .

Facing the very real prospect of a criminal indictment, Donald Trump’s lawyers sent a strange letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland two weeks ago, requesting a meeting to discuss the ongoing injustice that does the [special counsel Jack Smith] and his prosecutors. The strangely unprofessional letter did not persuade the countries chief law enforcement officer to sit down with the presidents former bodyguard.

That said, as reported by NBC News, Trump’s lawyers were admitted to the Main Justice yesterday.

NBC News confirmed that part of Trumps legal team met with special counsel Jack Smith and others at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington on Monday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Three of Trump’s lawyers, James Trusty, John Rowley and Lindsey Halligan, are at the Justice Department and met with a group of Justice Department officials, which included at least one other career prosecutor.

Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco did not attend, despite requests from defense attorneys.

While it’s hard to say with confidence what was said behind closed doors, there’s little to suggest the conversation went smoothly: Shortly after his lawyers left the Justice Department, Trump turned to his social media platforms to publish the latest in a series of online tantrums.

HOW DO I HAVE DOJ CHARGES, WHICH DID NOTHING, IF THERE WAS NO OTHER PRESIDENT [sic] CHARGED, the Republican wrote in an all-caps harangue, full of bullshit, including bogus claims about waiting for it in Hillary Clinton’s emails.

The fact that the former president made the decision isn’t new or interesting, but its context that matters: If the Justice Department meeting had gone well, such an outburst likely wouldn’t have taken long.

However, this is not the only element of note in the larger controversy. As the investigation into the documents scandal moves forward, here are some other angles of note:

Grand jury in DC: Previous reporting suggested that the grand jury in the nation’s capital investigating Trump’s classified documents scandal is expected to meet again this week. However, The New York Times reported Tuesday that the grand jury has stopped hearing witness testimony in recent weeks, citing three people familiar with its workings, and may be on hiatus.

The grand jury in Florida: It’s new. NBC News also reported that a grand jury is expected to hear witness testimony this week in Florida as part of the special counsel’s classified documents case.

Does Trump still hire lawyers? Amid drama within the presidents former legal team, Bloomberg reported yesterday that Trump is exploring options to expand his legal defense team as the case progresses. The former president and his operation seem particularly focused on finding defense attorneys with federal trial experience, which seems like a big clue about their expectations.

Blame the pool guy? This is also new. In accounts not independently confirmed by MSNBC or NBC News, The New York Times and CNN reported that prosecutors in this case are also interested in an incident from October in which a worker drained a pool at Mar-a-Lago, which caused water. damage to a room containing computer servers that hold digital logs for compound security cameras.

We haven’t quite reached the the-dog-ate-my-homework stage of Trump’s legal defense, but I’m afraid it’s coming soon.

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