Former Trump lawyer accuses current Trump lawyer of interfering with classified documents searches

A Trump spokesperson said Tim Parlatore's comments are "categorically false."

May 20, 2023, 7:40 PM

Former Trump lawyer Tim Parlatore is now publicly blasting a current lawyer for former President Donald Trump days after departing the legal team, alleging Boris Epshteyn attempted to interfere with additional searches for classified material at Trump's properties.

"In my opinion, he was not very honest with us or with the client on certain things. There were certain things like the searches that he had attempted to interfere with," Parlatore said during an appearance on CNN on Saturday.

Parlatore added that Epshteyn, who has served as somewhat of a liaison between the lawyers, made defending Trump more difficult.

A Trump campaign spokesperson said in a statement that the assertions were "categorically false."

"Mr. Parlatore is no longer a member of the legal team," the Trump spokesperson said. "His statements regarding current members of the legal team are unfounded and categorically false."

U.S. Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher's defense attorney Tim Parlatore speaks to the media after opening arguments in the soldier's court-martial trial at Naval Base San Diego in San Diego, California, June 18, 2019.
U.S. Navy SEAL Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher's defense attorney Tim Parlatore speaks to the media after opening arguments in the soldier's court-martial trial at Naval Base San Diego in San Diego, California, June 18, 2019.
Mike Blake/Reuters, FILE

Trump's legal team has been plagued with infighting, with many attorneys pointing fingers at the others blaming them for missteps.

Parlatore told CNN on Saturday that he left due to infighting.

"It had nothing to do with the case itself or the client," Parlatore told CNN. "The real reason is because there are certain individuals that made defending the president much harder than it needed to be."

Parlatore confirmed his departure from the Trump legal team in a statement to ABC News Wednesday.

"It has been an honor to be a member of this legal team over the past year, and to litigate some very interesting issues," Parlatore said.

As ABC News first reported, Parlatore testified last year before the grand jury probing Trump's handling of classified material, per sources familiar with the matter.

Epshteyn sat for an interview with the special counsel's office last month but only agreed to answer questions relating to Jan. 6 matters, according to sources.

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