Trump’s workplace is not going to be held in contempt of courtroom, regardless of the DOJ’s supply

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in support of Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections November 7, 2022 in Dayton, Ohio.

Gaelen Morse | Reuters

A federal judge on Friday denied a Justice Department request to keep former President Donald Trump’s office in contempt of court for allegedly failing to comply with a grand jury subpoena, NBC News reported.

According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC News, the department wanted Judge Beryl Howell to terminate Trump’s office for failing to comply with a subpoena issued in May ordering him to return classified documents still in his possession. disregarded.

The Justice Department did not comment on Howell’s denial of the motion, which came after a closed hearing on the matter was scheduled in the US District Court in Washington, DC

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The hearing was sealed because it relates to a grand jury proceeding. NBC News was part of a media coalition seeking access to the hearing.

Trump’s attorneys Evan Corcoran, Jim Trusty and Timothy Parlatore were seen entering Howell’s chambers around the time of the scheduled hearing at 2 p.m. ET, NBC reported.

The trio then exited the courthouse just before 3:30 p.m

Federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into Trump over his failure to return government documents when he left the White House and possible obstruction of justice.

An August FBI search of his home at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., found thousands of such records, more than 100 of which were marked secret or top secret.

Trump last month announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Trump’s spokesman said in a statement Friday, “The President and his attorney will continue to be transparent and cooperative, even in the face of the Justice Department’s highly armed and corrupt witch hunt.”

“Hillary Clinton was allowed to delete and acid wash 33,000 emails after they were subpoenaed by Congress, but absolutely nothing happened to hold her accountable,” the spokesman said.

“If the Justice Department can go after President Trump, they will certainly go after any American they disagree with.”