Former Prosecutor Predicts Judge May Rule Against Jack Smith in Trump Case

Former prosecutor Bill Shipley expressed concern that U.S. District Court judge Aileen Cannon could impede special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Donald Trump by barring the use of evidence against the former president.

Evan Corcoran, a lawyer hired by Trump to defend against a federal investigation into his handling of sensitive documents, was compelled to testify before a grand jury in Washington last year.

Although Corcoran was not charged in the indictment unsealed by Smith, he was portrayed as a significant Trump associate who was misled by the former president as he allegedly obstructed Justice Department efforts to retrieve classified documents stored at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after leaving the White House in January 2021.

After Trump was indicted in Florida, the grand jury files were transferred to Cannon’s court.

“Because the case was not going to be prosecuted in D.C., the decisions made during the grand jury investigation do not have to be followed by Cannon,” Shipley wrote Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Cannon may choose to exclude Corcoran’s testimony if she believes it violated attorney/client privilege.