Closed-door contempt hearing related to Trump ends with no outcome publicly announced - CNN

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Washington CNN  — 

A national justice declined to clasp former President Donald Trump in contempt of tribunal successful a closed-door proceeding connected Friday, 2 sources acquainted with the substance told CNN.

The sources besides told CNN that Chief Judge Beryl Howell alternatively pressed the Trump squad and the Justice Department to enactment unneurotic to find a mutually agreeable resolution.

ABC News first reported the justice had urged the teams to resoluteness the substance themselves.

The contempt proceedings for Trump ended aft astir 90 minutes down closed doors connected Friday day astatine a Washington, DC, courthouse.

CNN observed prosecutors, including the Justice Department’s counterintelligence main Jay Bratt, and attorneys for Trump exiting the courthouse conscionable earlier 3:30 p.m. ET. The 2 ineligible teams had gathered successful the chambers country for Howell, who was acceptable to see whether to clasp Trump successful contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena ordering him to crook implicit classified records, according to CNN’s reporting.

No result was publically announced.

When asked for comment, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung sent the aforesaid connection issued connected Thursday, saying the erstwhile president and his lawyers “will proceed to beryllium transparent and cooperative, adjacent successful the look of the highly weaponized and corrupt witch-hunt from the Department of Justice.”

A conjugation of media organizations that included CNN had asked Howell to let nationalist entree to Friday’s hearing, but the justice did not assistance the request.

Lisa Klem, the tribunal spokesperson, acknowledged the sealed proceeding connected Friday successful a statement, but provided nary much accusation arsenic to what happened.

“This afternoon, the Court held a proceeding regarding an ongoing and sealed expansive assemblage matter. This substance remains nether seal, pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) and Local Criminal Rule 6.1,” the connection said.

The DOJ sought to clasp Trump and his bureau successful contempt for not afloat complying with the subpoena pursuing the hunt of his Mar-a-Lago edifice successful August. Being held successful contempt implicit subpoenas for documents has go a diagnostic of the erstwhile president’s tribunal tangles since helium near office.

Had helium been held successful contempt Friday, helium could person racked up fines.

The proceedings ratchet up unit connected Trump arsenic helium faces imaginable transgression liability successful the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation being conducted by peculiar counsel Jack Smith. It besides adds different section to the ongoing conflict for national officials to reclaim authorities records – particularly those that incorporate nationalist information secrets – from Trump aft his medication ended.

After the DOJ subpoenaed Trump for documents with classified markings successful his possession successful May, prosecutors went to tribunal to enforce the expansive assemblage subpoena. The justice ordered Trump’s squad to comply. That prompted a hunt by Trump lawyers past period that yielded 2 much documents with classification markings.

But the Justice Department is inactive unsatisfied with the hunt and with Trump’s broadside not asserting each documents person been turned over, CNN antecedently reported.

This header and communicative person been updated with further developments.

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