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.
-
James Van Der Beek obituary: fresh-faced Dawson’s Creek starIn The Spotlight Van Der Beek fronted one of the most successful teen dramas of the 90s – but his Dawson fame proved a double-edged sword
-
Is Andrew’s arrest the end for the monarchy?Today's Big Question The King has distanced the Royal Family from his disgraced brother but a ‘fit of revolutionary disgust’ could still wipe them out
-
Quiz of The Week: 14 – 20 FebruaryQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Should the EU and UK join Trump’s board of peace?Today's Big Question After rushing to praise the initiative European leaders are now alarmed
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Kurt Olsen: Trump’s ‘Stop the Steal’ lawyer playing a major White House roleIn the Spotlight Olsen reportedly has access to significant US intelligence
