2 weeks ago
A erstwhile Department of Justice charismatic is facing felony charges aft emailing herself a sealed Biden-era investigative study concerning Donald Trump and attempting to hide nan documents arsenic barroom recipes, national authorities said connected Wednesday.
Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, who worked arsenic a managing adjunct US lawyer successful Florida, is facing 2 counts of theft of authorities money aliases spot successful summation to charges related to her alleged alteration of nan documents, according to nan indictment.
In early 2025, Lineberger received a transcript of an soul study “related to a pending national criminal investigation”, which she would later nonstop from her DoJ inbox to her individual email successful December 2025, according to nan indictment. The study was revenge successful nan US territory tribunal for nan confederate territory of Florida, wherever she was employed.
Lineberger allegedly sought to hide grounds of nan archive by changing its sanction to “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” earlier redeeming it to her government-issued computer, prosecutors said.
The indictment did not connection further specifications astir nan quality of nan report, but it did qualify nan archive arsenic being blocked from nationalist release, per an bid from US territory judge Aileen M Cannon.
Cannon, who Trump has antecedently lauded arsenic a “model of what a judge should be”, barred nan erstwhile DoJ typical counsel Jack Smith from discussing aliases sharing immoderate findings from his investigation into Trump’s alleged mishandling of White House documents astatine nan extremity of his first term.
Smith besides led an investigation into Trump’s alleged crippled to obstruct nan 2020 election. Both cases were dropped aft Trump secured a 2nd term. Justice section argumentation protects sitting presidents from criminal prosecution.
In a January tribunal filing, national prosecutors condemned Smith’s report. “The illicit merchandise of an unlawful investigation and prosecution belongs successful nan dustbin of history,” they said.
Meanwhile, defense groups person sought to unseal nan study done tribunal appeals.
It’s unclear why Lineberger sent nan study to herself. She faces a maximum condemnation of 25 years successful situation if convicted of nan charges.
