Trump tipped his hand to illegal behavior by trying to delete evidence: top Obama lawyer
March 14, 2024
Legal analyst Neal Katyal explained that he considers himself to be an excellent attorney — but even he wasn't sure he could win Donald Trump's classified documents case.
Katyal, the former acting solicitor general for Barack Obama's administration, spoke to MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace Thursday after Trump spent the day in a Florida courtroom. Wallace could not understand why the case hadn't moved forward — and why special counsel Jack Smith hadn't officially complained about Judge Aileen Cannon's delays.
"Because the Justice Department, Nicolle, doesn't like to ever file such motions," Katyal explained. "They don't want to be seen as playing favorites with particular judges. They just take the random assignment, and it's almost unheard of for them to do something else. This case might actually test it, given Judge [Aileen] Cannon's decisions last year and what she seems to be doing now."
He pointed to a comment from co-guest Lisa Rubin, who called the day in court, at which Trump tried to have his indictments dismissed on grounds including that the documents be classed as personal, an example of "theater of the absurd."
"The idea we're having a full-day hearing about an absurd motion like this? I mean, the only thing Donald Trump's arts today merit of an eye roll and a swift denial," Katyal complained. "Certainly not a day of hearing. Look, I think I'm a pretty good lawyer. There's no way I could win this junk Trump was saying today."
Katyal pointed to the man who, until recently, was known only as Trump Employee #5. In an interview with CNN, Brian Butler revealed that he was the one at Mar-a-Lago asked about deleting the security videos that showed staff moving the boxes of documents Trump took from the White House.
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There are two "buckets" of charges for Trump, the second of which, he explained, is an obstruction of justice charge.
"It's there where that videotape of employee number five is so damning. This does not sound like the staff of a former president," said Katyal. "This sounds like a bunch of mob guys basically trying to figure out when the camera records. How long it records for. Whether it can be erased. That is not innocent behavior any day of any week."
See the segment in the videos below or at the link here.
Part 1:
Part 2: