Ex-Louisiana private investigator can't use 'white hat' defense in Trump tax return hacking case,

Ex-Louisiana private investigator can't use 'white hat' defense in Trump tax return hacking case, fed judge says

A former Louisiana private investigator accused of attempting to illegally obtain Donald Trump's tax returns before last year's U.S. presidential election cannot argue to a jury that he was merely trying to test a government website for security flaws, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

Jordan Hamlett, 32, of Lafayette, may, however, be allowed to testify that he had no intent to deceive, Senior U.S. District Judge James Brady said at the end of a short hearing in the case.

Brady's ruling prevents Hamlett from using a so-called "white hat" defense, or being allowed to argue he tried to access Trump's unreleased tax returns for a good and ethical reason.

Hamlett is accused of trying to obtain Trump's tax returns in September 2016 through a U.S. Department of Education online student financial aid tool. He is charged with misrepresenting his Social Security number.

Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/courts/article_25acc550-be6b-11e7-8e41-f77f228e4a1a.html