A new judge is about to take control of the oversight of current grand jury investigations happening right now concerning former President Donald Trump, which includes a probe into classified documents that were discovered at his Mar-a-Lago estate located in Florida.
The new judge, James “Jeb” Boasberg, was sworn in on Friday as the chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, D.C. The role gives Boasberg, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, oversight of grand jury matters, as well as sealed disputes that have come up as a result of investigations into Trump.
Check out the details via Newsmax:
The position is important at a time when special counsel Jack Smith is conducting grand jury investigations into the retention by Trump of hundreds of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, as well as efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The investigations have involved multiple sealed disputes, including a current fight over whether prosecutors can secure additional grand jury testimony from Trump lawyer M. Evan Corcoran. Corcoran last year drafted a statement saying that a “diligent search” for classified documents had been conducted at Mar-a-Lago, even though FBI agents weeks later searched the home with a warrant and found roughly 100 additional documents with classified markings.
Corcoran had invoked attorney-client privilege during an appearance before the grand jury weeks ago. But Smith’s team has sought to question him again by invoking an exception to attorney-client privilege. That dispute has played out behind closed doors, and it was not clear if it would be resolved before Boasberg takes over as chief judges.
Boasberg has served on the bench since 2012. He has served as the presiding judge over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and that role brought up some concerns with the FBI after a watchdog connected with the Justice Department reportedly found some significant errors and omissions in surveillance applications that were filed during the Trump-Russia probe.
