Trump Lawyer Bobb: Other Attorneys Involved in Classified Docs Case (Newsmax)
By Fran Beyer | Monday, 10 October 2022 01:54 PM EDT
Christina Bobb, a lawyer who certified all sensitive records in former President Donald Trump's possession that had been returned to the government, reportedly told federal investigators that two other Trump attorneys were involved with the case.
NBC News, citing three unnamed sources, said a certification statement signed by Bobb on June 3 indicated Trump was in compliance with a May grand jury subpoena and that he didn't have classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Bobb gave her testimony Friday in Washington, and spoke to federal investigators — information that could play a big role in the probe of Trump's possession of records he allegedly shouldn't have.
"People made [Bobb] the fall guy — or fall gal, for what it's worth — and it's wrong," a source told NBC News. "Yes, she signed the declaration. No one disputes that. But what she signed is technically accurate … The people who told her to sign it should know better."
According to NBC News, court documents show that after Department of Justice officials were given Bobb's statement, the FBI determined her certification was untrue — leading to the Aug. 8 seizure of more than 103 more records with classification markings.
Bobb told investigators she didn't draft the statement, but had been told to do so by Trump's lead lawyer at the time, Evan Corcoran, who wrote it, NBC News reported.
Bobb also spoke to investigators about Trump legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who she said didn't help draft the statement but was minimally involved in discussions about the records, the news outlet reported.
Epshteyn's cellphone was reportedly seized last month.
According to NBC News, before Bobb signed the certification, she insisted it be rewritten with a disclaimer that said she was certifying Trump had no more records "based upon the information that has been provided to me." Bobb identified the person who gave her that "information" as Corcoran, the news outlet reported.
"She had to insist on that disclaimer twice before she signed it," one source told NBC News about Bobb. "She is not criminally liable. She is not going to be charged. She is not pointing fingers. She is simply a witness for the truth."
Though the certification said a "diligent search was conducted" for records requested in a May 11 grand jury subpoena, and that all relevant requested records were turned over, an Aug. 31 DOJ court filing raised doubts.
"That the FBI, in a matter of hours, recovered twice as many documents with classification markings as the 'diligent search' that the former President's counsel and other representatives had weeks to perform calls into serious question the representations made in the June 3 certification and casts doubt on the extent of cooperation in this matter," the DOJ wrote, NBC News reported.