Trump praised attorney for deleting Hillary Clinton’s 30,000 emails, indictment shows

Donald Trump praised an attorney who deleted 30,000 Hillary Clinton emails, according to a newly unsealed indictment from special counsel Jack Smith. As a candidate and president, Mr Trump repeatedly called for his 2016 opponent to be locked up after she was found to have used a private server to for official communications as secretary of state. But privately, he joked about how her lawyers had “done a great job” deleting the emails. The unsealed indictment details a conversation Mr Trump held with two lawyers, listed as Trump Attorney 1 and Trump Attorney 2 on 23 May 2022. The lawyers informed Mr Trump he would have to comply with a Department of Justice subpoena to turn over any classified materials to the National Archive. According to the indictment, Mr Trump asked them: “Well what happens if we just don’t respond at all or don’t play ball with them?” In a subsequent conversation, “memorialised” by Attorney 1, Mr Trump allegedly said: “(Attorney), he was great, he did a great job. You know what? He said, he said that it... was him. That he was the one who deleted all of her emails, the 30,000 emails, because they basically dealt with her scheduling and her going to the gym and her having beauty appointments. “And he was great. And he, so she didn’t get in any trouble because he said that he was the one who deleted him.” The identity of the attorney who supposedly deleted Ms Clinton’s emails was redacted. Trump Attorney 1, who was apparently recording the conversation, was said to be Evan Corcoran, according to CNN. The indictment, released a day after Mr Trump was indicted, revealed that he has been charged with 37 counts including conspiracy to obstruct justice and scheme to conceal that laid bare for the first time the vast scope of the classified document investigation. According to the indictment, FBI agents collected a total of 102 classified documents during a search of Mar-a-Lago last August. Read More Trump indictment — live: Justice Department unseals classified papers indictment as aide also faces charges Trump described Pentagon ‘plan of attack’ and shared classified military map with PAC member, indictment shows Conspiracy, false statements and retaining national defense documents: The federal charges against Donald Trump Trump indictment unsealed: Ex-president showed classified documents to unauthorised persons Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement