The U.S. Department of Justice has brought charges against Carmen Lineberger, a former federal prosecutor, for allegedly sending a sealed report related to President Donald Trump’s classified document investigation to her personal email. This action contravened a judge’s order to keep the report confidential.
Lineberger, who managed the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Florida, faces allegations of theft of government property and concealment of government records. She pleaded not guilty during her court appearance in West Palm Beach. Her attorney did not comment on the matter.
According to prosecutors, in December of last year, while serving as a Justice Department prosecutor, Lineberger emailed the report prepared by special counsel Jack Smith’s team to her personal account. The report documented the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. At the time, a judicial order prohibited Justice Department employees from disseminating the report.
Prosecutors claim Lineberger attempted to hide her actions by renaming the report file to “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” and sending it with a similar-themed subject line.
Months earlier, Lineberger is also accused of creating a file from internal Justice Department messages and memoranda, marked for official use only, and emailing it to herself disguised under the name “Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf.” The motivation behind these actions remains unexplained.
The report detailing Smith’s findings was part of a criminal investigation, initially considered to pose legal risks for Trump. However, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed with Trump’s lawyers to keep the report sealed, citing potential prejudice after Smith dropped the case post-Trump’s 2024 election victory.
Lineberger was involved in the judicial district where Smith’s case against Trump was filed, accusing the former president of illegally holding numerous classified records and obstructing government attempts to retrieve them.
FBI Director Kash Patel, responding to these developments, expressed determination to hold accountable those who breached public trust in the investigation.