New This Morning Trump attorney who was a key witness for years classified documents case, is now out of the fold. Why Evan Corcoran exit is causing discomfort inside the trump orbit . Donald trump is stoking fears of christianity is under attack. Now, new, please, from pastors speaking out against Christian Nationalism in a brand new survey of ceo was that shows a growing number. Think i should not even be here today and you should be embed snoring major developments and the push for for de workweek. Kate is out. Shes smart. Im john berman with sara sidner. This is a Special Friday Edition of Cnn News Central new overnight, a significant shakeup on Donald Trumps legal team, a key attorney in the classified documents case, Evan Corcoran, is no longer representing the former president. The departure could become a major headache for trump prosecutors could call corporate as a key witness if the case goes to trial. Corker became a central figure in the indictment because of his meticulous phyllis notes and memos about his interactions with trump been one trump asked corcoran if he is found classified documents in whether it is bad or good word of Corporis Departure comes just it ahead of a hearing today for two of trumps codefendants in the classified documents case, trump aide walt nauta and maralago employee Carlos De Oliveira both hope, uh, judge will dismiss the Obstruction Charges against them. Cnns kaitlan, polands with us this morning to explain the departure of Evan Corcoran haleine john, its a Long Time Coming in. A lot of ways. Evan corcoran was the lead attorney for a long time in the investigations around donald trump, both the maralago Documents Investigation and the january 6 investigation he developed all kinds of Institutional Knowledge about what the prosecutor heres was were gathering. He was there and he was taking notes for his conversations with donald trump. The split that eventually culminated now in Kaitlan Collins reporting that he is formally left the trump team and that circle around the former president that began when the Justice Department wanted his information to make him a witness in the maralago Documents Investigation. They pursued it in this Extraordinary Court fight, getting him ultimately to talk to a grand jury and to turn over his notes and records of his conversations with trump something that he shed shed light on was what trump was saying as the Justice Department, the federal government were demanding that he returned Classified Records that were in his possession after the presidency. Corcoran remembered and wrote down, took notes of an interaction with trump after he searched a storage room and found a significant number, dozens of Classified Records, put them in an envelope and was ready to turn them back over to fbi agents who were visiting maralago in june of 2022, trump said to him, did you find anything . Is it . Bad . Good. And then Evan Corcoran made said that trump made a Plucking Motion and said to him, why dont you take them with you to your hotel room and if theres anything really bad in their pluck it out ultimately, Evan Corcoran was not privy to the full amount of records that were being kept at mars our logo at the resort. There were boxes moved out of that storage room. He was sent into search and ultimately, this became a key part of the Obstruction Case against former president donald trump. But john, theres gonna be a big fight in court over whether Evan Corcoran will be able to testify and share what he nose from that episode in the maralago investigation, if and when donald trump goes to trial in this case. So now quite a marker to see him leaving this legal team. Finally, after hanging back after these issues, were all, he was forced to provide them publicly. Yeah, quite a marker as you say, because you can imagine what a compelling witness he could be potentially kaleb, polands great to see you this morning. Thank you very much, sir. It is a Remarkable Development in this case, joining us now cnn senior legal analyst and former assistant us attorney for the Southern District of new york elie honig. Thank you so much. I know youve been up late getting up early. We really appreciate you. Can you just give us an idea of just how significant it is that one of trumps key attorneys, Evan Corcoran, has now left the trump team well, sarah Evan Corcoran is now a position to be a crucial witness for jack smiths prosecution team. And if you look at the indictment, essentially, hes the fulcrum of the Obstruction Of Justice counts now, to be clear jack smiths theory is not that Evan Corcoran is guilty or liable for obstruction rather than donald trump and others used him as a means to commit obstruction for example, at one point, they gave him they put him in a storage room and they said, okay, youre going to do the Attorney Search of this storage room in response to a subpoena, Evan Corcoran did that search and then he certified back to doj. We only found so many classified documents. What Evan Corcoran apparently he did not know. Is that trump had 30 some boxes moved out of that storage room before he had even corporate search the boxes. So corcoran is going to be a crucial player here for the Justice Departments prosecution team. And he could be a really difficult witness for the defense of crossexamine because he doesnt want to testify for the prosecution. Hes a defense witness. No defense witnesses. Defense lawyer is ever happy about becoming a witness against his own client. Ellie, can you just remind us of how corporate and became one of the key prosecution witnesses because it was remarkable ruling and im usual ruling to get us to this its place, correct yeah. Order narrowly an attorney would not be testifying about communications that he had with his client that is protected by the attorneyclient privilege. But jack smiths team went through this extensive Legal Process to do what we call piercing. The attorneyclient privilege, meaning to break through it and in order to do that, jack smiths team had to go to a judge, not the same gadjo as the case. Now, this was a judge who was overseeing the grand jury part of it, but jack smiths team had to convince that, judge, that the Communications Trump was making with his attorney were in furtherance of a crime. Again, not necessarily the Evan Corcoran was part of that crime, but the Trumps Communications to him were part of a crime and we had a federal judge say, i find by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning more likely than not, that yes. Those communications were part of a crime and therefore, you can break through that privilege and sara, thats exactly why its so rare that you ever see a situation like this where a Defense Lawyer ends up taking the stand against his former client in the very case. Yeah its just fascinating. Could there be any kind of Privilege Issue that prevents corcoran from testifying . While so Donald Trumps defense team can try to re raise the appellate issue that excuse me, the Communications Issue that we just discussed because like i said, the ruling breaking through the privilege was made by a different judge at a different phase of the proceeding. So i fully expect Donald Trumps defense team to now go in front of judge cannon, the district judge whos handling this case and say that was a wrong ruling. The privilege never should have been broken you need to put it back in place if they win on that, thats going to take Evan Corcoran out as a witness, but i dont think they will win and on that for the reasons we just discussed, he would be a that would be a huge blow to the prosecution as he is a key witness. Elie honig. I really appreciate you coming in this morning. Thank you so much. John. All right. One of the biggest aftershocks yet, Vice President harris is in arizona today to talk about abortion after the state chose to uphold an abortion and banned from the 1800s. One of the most brazen betrayals in us history that is what prosecutors are saying about a former diplomat accused of being a spy. We are standing body here from that diplomat in court today donald trump leading into the narrative, the christianity is under attack in the United States. Now some Church Leaders are fighting back on the threat of Christian Nationalism to use christianity to control that. If you you dont see christianity in christ the way we see, and then you are not truly christian. And if you are not truly christian, then you are not Truly American america is countered as christians are part of it, Christian Nationalism is not christian at all the lead with jake tapper to the head four and cnn students students of any age from anywhere using our technology the power, different ways of learning. So in minds bro opportunities, file when i was 12 years old with cancer, i spent most of the year looking at a hospital when no all i wanted was to be outside i other people at st. Jude everything because i am 17 years cancerfree my marathon is for st. Jude and helping all of those kids with cancer. 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Were our shared values propel us towards a more secure future. Through august, a partnership built upon cuttingedge american, australian, and british technologies will develop stateoftheart next generation in build something stronger together securing dickey of peace and prosperity for america and our allies. We are Going Forward and staying Forward Together feeling from a backed up god we are lacks whats naturally with the water in your body to help you go for your gut and your mood will follow for eight grams of fiber and trying mirror Fiber Gummies file 100 free with turbotax free edition roughly 37 of taxpayers qualify form ten, 40, and limited credits only see how it turbotax. Comk at all the guests fivestar reviews, women everywhere i breaking up with bad bros weve got new reporting this morning on the message that Vice PresidentKamala Harris will bring two arizona today. When she travels there to weigh in on the state Supreme Court case that reinstated a law from the 1800s that establishes a neartotal ban an abortion. Sheill plac the blame squarely on donald trump calling him a quote, architect of this health care crisis. She will use the speech to warn voters about what she thinks a trump second term could meet her an additional term could mean for the fight for reproductive rights. Cnns Camila Bernal is in arizona this morning. What do you expect to hear camila hey, john, so look what im seeing here in arizona and what i know the Vice President is going to see here in arizona, if people who are completely energized and motivated about this issue, i talked to a lot of people who say no matter where they fall, theyre wanting to get involved, theyre wanting to volley when tier to donate money to sign petitions. And so it just depends exactly who you talk to, but the people that i talked to in terms of proponents of Abortion Rights in this state are very focused on a Ballot Measure that would guarantee Abortion Rights in the states constitution. And so what theyre saying is that theyre trying to collect as many signatures there is this possible to have this issue on the ballot in november. Everyone has their eyes in november here in arizona, the Group Running this effort is called arizona for abortion access. And they say that after tuesdays state Supreme Court ruling, they saw an increase in the number of people that were wanting to sign this petition that were wanting to get get involved, to go out and motivate other people. Take a listen to what the spokesperson for the group told me people are going doortodoor in their neighborhood. People are tabling outside of their Favorite Local coffee shops. This is not something that appeals to only democrats that republicans, independence, women, and their loved ones believe in this and want want to see this on the ballot now i also talked to the group. It goes too far and theyre saying exactly that this Ballot Measure goes too far, that they dont believe voters are being educated on the language of this Ballot Measure. But overall, this is a community that really is looking forward to november for because they believe that this is an issue that will be on the ballot in the meantime, you have Abortion Providers here for already struggling who say this is a huge issue for them. I spoke to one of the providers who told me shes one of eight people who perform abortions here in arizona. She says she was angry and frustrated and look, this ban actually a calls for a prison time for Abortion Providers. So they would be directly impacted by this, the provider that i talked to told me i know im not going to go to jail because thats not what im going to be doing over the next couple of months, but i will continue to fight. She wants to stay here in arizona and said this is a fight that will exceed pass november drawing thats a very real issue for a lot of people on the ground there now, Camila Bernal. Thank you so much for being there. Appreciate It Prosecutors call it one of the most brazen betrayals and the history of the us fore service today, the former us dipl and accused of being a spy will enter a plea in course. And weve got new reporting on the funeral arrangements for a o. J. Simpson houston, you go for the debris in this guy. Parents, husbands and wives gone. If you work in spaceflight, this this is the worst possible thing i can never happen thousands of pieces of debris are now pieces to a puzzle. I should have that test on day one. 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