Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik’s legal team has reached an agreement with Special Counsel Jack Smith to hand over thousands of documents related to the investigation into former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Kerik’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, confirmed that they provided nearly 2,000 pages of material describing how Kerik investigated voter fraud allegations. The documents, totaling 600 megabytes and mostly in PDF format, could include exculpatory evidence for Trump, showing that his investigators acted in good faith.
Initially, Kerik’s team refused to turn over the documents to the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, citing attorney-client privilege due to Kerik’s collaboration with Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, on the probe. However, the Trump 2024 presidential campaign recently agreed to waive the privilege, allowing the documents’ submission to Smith’s office.
Parlatore convinced the campaign that full disclosure is the best approach, as it demonstrates that the investigation into fraud was conducted in good faith, irrespective of the election’s legitimacy. Parlatore and Kerik are scheduled to be interviewed by federal investigators in the coming weeks regarding the documents.
Last week, Trump received a letter from Smith, indicating that he was the subject of a grand jury investigation related to the January 6 events, possibly leading to an indictment. Parlatore criticized the rush to indict before completing the investigation, suggesting it may be perceived as politically motivated.
It’s worth noting that Kerik has a past conviction for tax fraud and making false statements to the government, serving prison time before being pardoned by Trump in 2020.