According to a PBS report, Timothy Parlatore, who was among the leading attorneys representing former President Donald Trump in the investigation related to Mar-a-Lago, has resigned from the legal team of the former chief executive. The report indicated that Parlatore’s decision may have been influenced by a CNN Town Hall interview with the former president that took place recently.
In December, Parlatore provided testimony before a grand jury regarding his communications with the former president. He specifically disclosed information about potential actions that could have violated the Presidential Records Act. According to ethics rules, lawyers are not allowed to defend clients if they could be considered “essential witnesses” in the case. Given Parlatore’s grand jury testimony alone, it could be sufficient to create a conflict of interest that necessitates his removal from the legal team.
JUST IN: Trump Classified Docs Attorney Quits Team Days After Trump Pops Off On Case At CNN Town Hall https://t.co/4ZZpxldmB6
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) May 17, 2023
Additionally, Mediaite highlighted that just days before Parlatore’s reported resignation, former President Trump made significant statements to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that could be damaging. During the interview, Trump repeatedly asserted that he and his legal team were in the process of negotiating the return of classified documents at the time of the Mar-a-Lago raid. He further claimed that any documents he had taken were automatically declassified upon their relocation. Mediaite suggested that these statements, along with others, may have potentially incriminated the former president.
The recent announcement of Parlatore’s departure follows closely on the heels of another development involving a member of Trump’s defense team. Evan Corcoran, another team member, has reportedly recused himself from the Mar-a-Lago case. The Washington Post reported that Corcoran, too, provided testimony for a grand jury proceeding, which categorized him as an “essential witness.”
According to a BBC report, apart from the allegations of mishandling sensitive documents, the former president is facing accusations of inciting the violent Capitol building riot on January 6 in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results. Additionally, he is being investigated for allegedly urging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” to assist him in reclaiming the election, as well as for allegedly bribing porn star Stormy Daniels to maintain silence about an extramarital sexual encounter.
