A former federal prosecutor in Florida has been indicted on costs that she tried to take a sealed copy of particular counsel Jack Smith’s labeled ultimate report on President Donald Trump’s labeled paperwork case.
Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, who labored within the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Southern District of Florida and managed its Fort Pierce department, was charged with theft of presidency property and concealment of presidency data, in line with an indictment unsealed Wednesday. She pleaded not responsible throughout a court docket look in West Palm Seaside.
Prosecutors allege Lineberger despatched the report back to her private e mail account whereas she was nonetheless working for the Justice Division. The doc was a part of Smith’s investigation into Trump’s retention of labeled data at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Seaside property.
In line with the indictment, Lineberger allegedly tried to disguise the file by altering its title to “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” earlier than saving it to her authorities pc and emailing it to herself. The indictment doesn’t say why she allegedly wished the report.
Trump was accused in 2023 of illegally retaining labeled paperwork after leaving workplace and obstructing authorities efforts to get better them. He pleaded not responsible, and U.S. District Choose Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July 2024 after discovering that Smith had been unlawfully appointed.
Smith later moved to drop the case in opposition to Trump after Trump’s 2024 election victory, citing Justice Division coverage in opposition to prosecuting a sitting president. The enchantment involving Trump’s co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, additionally got here to an finish.
The sealed report on the heart of Lineberger’s indictment is Quantity II of Smith’s ultimate report, the portion coping with the labeled paperwork investigation. The election interference quantity was launched in January 2025, however the paperwork quantity has remained below seal.
In February, Cannon completely blocked the discharge of the labeled paperwork report, saying its publication might unfairly prejudice Trump and his co-defendants and lift considerations involving grand jury materials. Cannon discovered that launch would create a “manifest injustice.”
That secrecy made the alleged conduct extra important. The report was not merely an inner memo. It was a sealed particular counsel doc related to a legal case involving labeled materials, a former president, and allegations of obstruction.
Lineberger labored in the identical federal district the place Smith’s labeled paperwork case was filed. The Southern District of Florida dealt with the prosecution after the FBI recovered authorities data from Mar-a-Lago, and prosecutors alleged that labeled paperwork had been retained after Trump left the White Home.
The Justice Division has not publicly accused Lineberger of leaking the report back to the press or giving it to a different particular person. The fees, as reported, heart on the alleged elimination and concealment of presidency data.
The case now locations a former DOJ lawyer within the uncommon place of defending herself in opposition to allegations tied to a prosecution that after focused the president. Lineberger’s legal professional didn’t instantly reply to AP’s request for remark.
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