Former prosecutor charged after emailing herself unreleased Trump report as ‘cake recipes’

WASHINGTON, DC: A former federal prosecutor was charged with secretly emailing herself an unreleased volume of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report into President Donald Trump while allegedly disguising the files as “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf,” prompting FBI Director Kash Patel to accuse her of supporting “Jack Smith’s politicized investigation.”

Carmen Lineberger, 62, pleaded not guilty before a federal magistrate judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, on May 20.

Her attorney declined to comment, while prosecutors accused the former Justice Department official of improperly sending confidential materials to her personal Gmail account.

Prosecutors allege files were disguised as recipes

According to charging documents unsealed Wednesday, May 21, Lineberger allegedly received an electronic copy of the unreleased report on her Justice Department email account four days before Trump’s inauguration.

Prosecutors said she downloaded a copy in December and later emailed it to herself using misleading file names.

“The subject line and file name read ‘Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf,’” the indictment stated.

As per the source, authorities also alleged that months earlier, Lineberger sent herself additional confidential Justice Department records disguised as a chocolate cake recipe.

Lineberger served as the managing assistant US attorney in the Justice Department’s Fort Pierce branch, where Trump’s classified documents prosecution was handled.

Prosecutors charged her with two counts of theft of government property, one count of altering records in a federal investigation, and one count of concealing and removing public records.

The most serious charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Kash Patel condemns ex-prosecutor in Trump case

FBI Director Kash Patel reacted publicly to the case on social media, saying Lineberger had “supported Jack Smith’s politicized investigation.”

“This FBI will not hesitate to bring to account those who violated the trust of the American public in an investigation that should’ve never been brought to begin with,” Patel wrote.

His remarks added another layer of political fallout to the case tied to Smith’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving the White House.

The second volume of Smith’s report, which focused on the documents case, was never publicly released after a judge ruled publication could cause “irreparable damage” to the former defendants. In addition to Trump, the case involved two other defendants.

Jack Smith report case sparks new scrutiny

Trump’s classified documents prosecution was one of four criminal cases he faced after leaving office. The case was later dropped after Trump returned to the White House.

A judge had also ruled that Smith was improperly appointed as special counsel to investigate the documents case.

Federal prosecutors said the current case against Lineberger is being handled in the Southern District of Florida, where she worked. To avoid conflicts of interest, the Justice Department assigned the prosecution to a special prosecutor who typically handles cases in a nearby district.

The allegations surrounding the supposed “cake recipe” files quickly drew attention online because of the unusual descriptions included in the indictment and Patel’s sharp criticism of the former prosecutor’s alleged actions.