A listening to was held Friday to find out whether or not Walt “Walt” Nota — the previous president’s longtime servant charged with serving to his boss impede authorities efforts to recuperate labeled paperwork — might retain Stanley Woodward as his legal professional, despite the fact that Woodward was beforehand represented by a distinct individual. Trump worker who is anticipated to testify towards Nauta. Woodward can also be at the moment representing a witness who can testify within the case.
On the hour-long listening to, Cannon knowledgeable Nota of his rights as a defendant and made certain he understood potential conflicts.
At one level, Decide Nauta warned that Woodward may “retreat or turn out to be a weaker advocate,” particularly since his obligations to those witnesses as their former or present legal professional may forestall him from questioning their credibility.
“I perceive the struggles,” Naota stated. “However I nonetheless select Mr. Woodward as my legal professional.”
The case was speculated to be resolved final week, however Cannon reduce quick the listening to, saying prosecutors had been “losing the court docket’s time” by making an sudden argument.
The particular counsel’s workplace raised considerations about Naota’s legal professionals and co-defendant Carlos de Oliveira, a property supervisor at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida dwelling and personal membership. Prosecutors requested a sort of continuing often known as a Garcia listening to, the place a choose explains the potential battle and makes certain the defendants waive any considerations about it.
The choose held a listening to for De Oliveira final week and waived any considerations. D Oliveira’s legal professional, John Irving, advised Cannon on the listening to that he would ask one other legal professional to query any witnesses he had beforehand represented through the trial. Woodward didn’t make the identical concession on the time.
However this time, Woodward advised the choose that his co-counsel would query any witnesses he represented.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead lawyer within the case, attended the listening to.
Prosecutors usually search Garcia hearings largely to make sure defendants don’t later attempt to use the case to enchantment the conviction. Within the Trump case, legal professionals for each de Oliveira and Nota stated in court docket filings that they had been capable of adequately signify their shoppers.
The indictment associated to the labeled doc is one in all 4 felony instances Trump faces. He’s charged individually in federal court docket in D.C. and state court docket in Georgia in connection together with his efforts to forestall Joe Biden’s victory within the 2020 election, and in state court docket in New York with falsifying enterprise data in reference to the cost of secret funds through the 2016 election.
He faces 91 felony expenses in complete and has pleaded not responsible to every case.
Within the paperwork case, Woodward, Nauta’s lawyer, represented not less than seven different individuals whom prosecutors interviewed through the investigation, the federal government stated in a court docket submitting earlier than Friday’s listening to. Two of those individuals could also be referred to as as authorities witnesses at trial.
Prosecutors advised Woodward that not less than one in all his former shoppers had incriminating info on Nauta. Whereas the legal professionals had been cautious to not point out the title of this witness in court docket, referring to him solely as “Trump Worker No. 4,” The Washington Submit beforehand reported that the witness was Yucel Taveras, an IT employee at Mar-a-Lago, the place a whole bunch of individuals are positioned. . Paperwork had been stored confidential.
After hiring a brand new lawyer to switch Woodward on July 5, Taveras supplied prosecutors with info implicating Trump, Nota and de Oliveira in alleged efforts to delete Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage whereas the federal government was attempting to recuperate labeled paperwork, The Washington Submit reported. .
Cannon stated she is going to maintain a listening to on Nov. 1 to debate the pretrial schedule.
Stein reported from Washington.