Tim Parlatore, who was a lawyer for Donald Trump in the classified documents case before he quit for personal reasons, offered some advice on Tuesday to his old client: Shut up. (Watch the video below.)
OK, Parlatore said it in more polite words during his appearance on CNN but his free counsel came in loud and clear.
“You have the right to remain silent. Use it,” Parlatore said.
Parlatore was shown video of Trump’s interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier in which the ex-president seemed, to many, to admit to willfully keeping sensitive files at Mar-a-Lago after receiving a subpoena to turn them over. Trump explained he was too busy and had some of the papers mixed in with his golf shirts.
Asked by CNN host Abby Phillip if Trump was basically confessing to obstruction, Parlatore replied: “It’s difficult to know. This is one of the reasons why we always advise our clients, ‘Don’t talk about the case. You have the right to remain silent. Use it. Let your attorneys talk about it.’”
When Phillip later asked Parlatore about advice he gave Trump while working for him, Parlatore declined to talk specifics but did reiterate his pro tip for the former president.
“As a general practice, I always tell all my clients, ‘Don’t talk about the case,’” he said.
Parlatore said Trump, who was charged with 37 counts for his handling of the documents, didn’t heed his advice then.
And given that some of Trump’s supporters for 2024 are becoming more loyal as his legal woes mount, he clearly isn’t going to stop talking about it now either.
H/T Mediaite