Attorneys for the former president’s valet and another Mar-a-Lago employee may have conflicts of interest, according to the government.
Cannon Blasts Lawyer for Raising Request Without Warning
The federal judge overseeing the criminal case involving Donald Trump’s preservation of sensitive papers chastised the prosecution for “wasting the court’s time” by making an impromptu request to partially impose restrictions on the attorney representing one of Trump’s co-defendants.
Cannon Abruptly Postpones the Hearing
Judge Aileen Cannon of the US District Court quickly postponed the hearing after learning of the motion to bar the attorney from conducting the cross-examination and closing statements of a former client at trial. This request came after the prosecution first stated that they would not seek the lawyer’s disqualification.
“Disappointed” in Prosecutors for Sudden Request
Cannon stated, “I do want to reprimand the government for, quite simply, wasting the court’s time. She went on to say that she was “disappointed” that one of the prosecutors, David Harbach, had brought up the request without notice and without mentioning any instances from Florida’s southern district as proof.
Trump and Nauta Charged for Obstruction of Justice
The hearing was the second of two set so that Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, Trump’s co-defendants, could learn about the witnesses who their attorneys had previously represented during the grand jury inquiry who may testify against them at trial.
In an indictment, obstruction of justice and unlawful retention of national security materials at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property were accused alongside Trump and Nauta. In a superseding indictment that was released in July, they were both charged with additional obstruction counts alongside De Oliveira.
Lawyers of Nauta and De Oliveira Constrained at Trial Due to Divided Loyalties
In order to prevent them from being limited in their testimony at trial owing to conflicting allegiances to their present and past clients, the prosecutors in the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith had requested conflict-of-interest hearings for Nauta’s attorney Stanley Woodward and De Oliveira’s attorney John Irving.
Prosecutors: “Could Not Be Sure How Woodward Might Cross-Examine Trump Employee 4”
Prosecutors said they were unsure of how Woodward would question “Trump Employee 4”, who the Guardian identified as Yuscil Taveras, the IT director of Mar-a-Lago, during Nauta’s hearing.
Taveras Is of Special Interest, Changes Sworn Testimony
Since Woodward first defended Taveras throughout the grand jury inquiry, Taveras is particularly relevant. Taveras amended his sworn statement after prosecutors informed him that he was a target for prosecution. This new counsel was not paid for by Trump’s PAC.
Prosecutors Believe Woodward’s Credibility Should Be Questioned
At the hearing, the prosecution declared that they would now summon Taveras as a witness and informed the court that they thought Woodward should not be allowed to engage in cross-examination or be permitted to cast doubt on his reliability during the jury’s verdict argument.
Cannon Demands Why Request of Precluding Woodward Is Being “Raised for the First Time”
The issue of cross-examination has already been brought up in court documents. Cannon questioned Harbach about why the motion to prevent Woodward from making closing arguments was being made for the first time at the hearing since she believed it to be a novel one.
“Woodward’s Conflicts May Attack Taveras’ Credibility”: Harbach
Harbach subsequently explained that he simply intended for Nauta to comprehend that, before he decided whether to retain Woodward as his attorney, it was likely that Woodward’s conflicts might prevent him from conducting cross-examination and making closing arguments that attacked Taveras’ credibility.
Cannon Backs Woodward
The judge, however, agreed with Woodward, who argued that just because he had acted as Taveras’ attorney did not preclude him from challenging Taveras’ credibility in court, and that he was uncomfortable with Nauta reaching a determination on a potential conflict of interest before his involvement in the trial was clear.
Woodward: ”Didn’t Come Prepared to Litigate Request at Such Short Notice”
Woodward noted that since Harbach had only recently brought up that issue in court on Thursday, he had not come prepared to argue it. The court concurred, especially after Harbach admitted he lacked strong supporting cases from the eleventh circuit.
“Want to Continue to Move Forward With Mr Irving”: De Oliveira Affirms
Even though John Irving had previously represented three witnesses who may be summoned by prosecutors to testify against De Oliveira at trial, De Oliveira had already told the judge at the first conflicts hearing that he wanted to maintain Irving as his attorney. Irving had been paid for by the Trump PAC. De Oliveira said, “I want to continue working with Mr. Irving.”
Cross-Examination of Witnesses to Only Be Done by Co-counsel, Donnie Murrell
Since Irving had determined in advance that his co-counsel, Donnie Murrell, would conduct the cross-examination of those witnesses, the possible conflicts may have appeared less urgent to De Oliveira.
De Oliveira Struggles to Explain His Part: “Can Read English Better Than He Can Write In It”
De Oliveira’s main concern seems to be whether he fully understood the implications of hiring a lawyer who may have a conflict of interest. De Oliveira, who had told the judge he could read English better than he could write, struggled to explain what he knew in his own words.
De Oliveira’s Language Skills a Topic of Discussion in Trump Legal Team
According to those acquainted with the situation, the Trump legal team has been debating De Oliveira’s language abilities for months. He informed the judge that he had not finished his secondary education and had not completed high school when he left Portugal at the age of 17.
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President Biden has claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris is fighting for freedom and that the Biden administration has rebuilt the economy. Understandably, his comments have left some people confused.
“Reverse Racism Doesn’t Exist, Idiot”: Biden’s Praise for Kamala Harris Raises Eyebrows
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“I’d Like to See Him Pass a Polygraph”: Trump Fails at Basic Math and Rambles About Passing Meaningless Competency Test
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