The Department of Justice accidentally sent sealed copies of Jack Smith’s report to lawyers for Carmen Lineberger on June 3. Her attorneys later found three documents on the flash drives and contacted the government before reviewing the report itself.
June 3 Flash Drives
On June 3, officials handed discovery items to Lineberger’s lawyers on flash drives. Those materials included the second volume of Jack Smith’s report on President Trump’s handling of classified documents, even though the report had been sealed.
The defendant’s attorneys said they found three documents on June 9. They asked the government whether the items were supposed to be part of discovery, which brought the problem into the open before the defense read the report itself.
Carmen Lineberger Filing
After reviewing the documents, DOJ lawyers said they were copies of Smith’s report. Defense attorneys said they stopped reviewing the material, deleted the discovery items they had downloaded, and handed the flash drives back to the government.
That sequence matters because the government accidentally disclosed sealed material tied to President Trump’s classified-documents case even after Aileen Cannon had dismissed Smith’s case. The report itself concerned whether Trump kept classified documents at Mar-a-Lago instead of returning them to the government.
Judge Aileen Cannon Notice
Thursday’s legal filing was submitted to notify Judge Aileen Cannon. The filing puts the accidental release on the court record and leaves the reported disclosure tied to the sealed report rather than to any new ruling in the case.
Why the Department of Justice sent sealed copies of Jack Smith’s report to Carmen Lineberger’s lawyers is not explained, but the practical result is clear: the defense returned the material, and the court was told the report had reached the wrong hands.
