A former prosecutor, Carmen Mercedes Lineburger, faces DOJ charges for actions involving documents connected to the Trump government-documents matter. She received the Jack Smith report as a managing AUSA on January 16, 2025. Aileen Cannon had dismissed the Trump case, and Judge Cannon later ordered DOJ not to share the report on January 21. Lineburger is accused of saving electronic messages to a file named “Chocolate_Cake_Recipe.pdf” and sending it from her DOJ account to a Hotmail account on September 22, 2025. She is also accused of renaming the report to “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” and sending it to her Gmail account on December 1, 2025. The charges include 18 USC 641, 18 USC 1519, and 18 USC 2071.
"DOJ has charged a former prosecutor Carmen Mercedes Lineburger for attempting to liberate documents pertaining to Trump's theft of government documents. As a managing AUSA, she received the Jack Smith report on January 16, 2025. Of some interest, the indictment (on which Todd Blanche's name appears) claims that there was an pending criminal prosecution that day. There was; but it was of Walt Nauta. Aileen Cannon had already dismissed the case against Trump. Judge Cannon issued an order prohibiting DOJ from sharing the report on January 21."
"Lineburger is accused of two more actions: On September 22, 2025: Saving electronic messages (seemingly not the Jack Smith Report) to a "Chocolate_Cake_Recipe.pdf" file and sending it from her DOJ account to a Hotmail account. On December 1, 2025: Renaming the Report itself "Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf" and sending it to her Gmail account."
"For those two acts, she is charged with: 18 USC 641: Stealing the Chocolate Cake PDF sent on September 22. 18 USC 1519: Obstructing the proper compliance with Judge Cannon's January 21 order, apparently by renaming the Jack Smith Report, "Bundt Cake." 18 USC 2071: Concealing a document deposited with a Clerk of the Court with the intent of taking it away, for her actions on December 1. 18 USC 641: Stealing the Bundt Cake PDF."
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