DOJ reportedly pushing to hold Trump's legal team in contempt
Investigators from the Department of Justice have reportedly asked a federal judge to hold the legal team representing former Presdent Donald Trump in contempt of court over what prosecutors claim to be insufficient compliance with a subpoena demanding the return of all classified documents in Trump's possession.
According to the Washington Post, DOJ prosecutors made the request as Trump's legal team reportedly refuses to sign a document affirming that the former president has indeed returned to the government all potentially classified material in his possession, as required by a subpoena issued this past May. The exact request and underlying legal basis remain sealed, and the Post reports that U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell has not, as of yet, made any decision on the matter.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a brief statement to the Post, a Trump spokesperson called the matter "a political witch hunt unlike anything like this country has ever seen," and insisted that the former president and his attorneys have been "cooperative and transparent."
The Washington Post's report was published shortly before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals officially ended a Trump-requested special master review of items confiscated by the FBI during its August search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. That material may now be used by recently-named special counsel Jack Smith, who has been tasked with spearheading the DOJ's ongoing investigations into Trump's handling of classified material and the Jan. 6 insurrection.
-
Political cartoons for January 18Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include cost of living, endless supply of greed, and more
-
Exploring ancient forests on three continentsThe Week Recommends Reconnecting with historic nature across the world
-
The rise of the spymaster: a ‘tectonic shift’ in Ukraine’s politicsIn the Spotlight President Zelenskyy’s new chief of staff, former head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, is widely viewed as a potential successor
-
Trump threatens Minnesota with Insurrection ActSpeed Read The law was passed in 1807 but has rarely been used
-
Why is Trump threatening defense firms?Talking Points CEO pay and stock buybacks will be restricted
-
‘The security implications are harder still to dismiss’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Judge clears wind farm construction to resumeSpeed Read The Trump administration had ordered the farm shuttered in December over national security issues
-
Trump DOJ targets Fed’s Powell, drawing pushbackSpeed Read Powell called the investigation ‘unprecedented’
-
What are Donald Trump’s options in Iran?Today's Big Question Military strikes? Regime overthrow? Cyberattacks? Sanctions? How can the US help Iranian protesters?
-
Maduro’s capture: two hours that shook the worldTalking Point Evoking memories of the US assault on Panama in 1989, the manoeuvre is being described as the fastest regime change in history
-
Trump’s power grab: the start of a new world order?Talking Point Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the US president has shown that arguably power, not ‘international law’, is the ultimate guarantor of security
