Friday, July 07, 2023 9:57:48 AM
See all 3 citations at bottom
Patrick Webb
July 5, 2023
The alleged behavior is undoubtedly flagrant and arguably unprecedented. A judge would have every right to consider dismissal if the allegations were confirmed.
Waltine “Walt” Nauta, a Navy valet who worked in Trump’s White House and who continued to be a personal aide to Trump after he left office, is one of Trump’s co-defendants. Former DOJ Counterintelligence Chief Jay Bratt, who is currently a member of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team of prosecutors, was named the target of accusations made by Nauta’s attorney, a renowned, highly esteemed Washington attorney named Stanley Woodward, a few weeks ago. According to news reports, Woodward claimed in a sealed letter to D.C. District Chief Judge James Boasberg that during a meeting to discuss Nauta’s case, Bratt said that if he couldn’t persuade Nauta to testify against Trump, it might affect Woodward’s application to be a D.C. Superior Court judge.
If confirmed, and there is no reason why Woodward would fabricate such a threat — let alone risk his career by telling a federal judge such a thing — Bratt’s alleged misconduct could lead to harsh penalties and even be a reason to throw out the entire case against Nauta and Trump. Depending on the details of what was said, Bratt might even be charged with a crime.
Courts have the discretion to completely dismiss indictments in situations where there has been egregious prosecutorial misconduct. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon would be perfectly within her rights to consider a dismissal in this case if Woodward’s claims are validated. The alleged behavior is perhaps unprecedented and unquestionably flagrant, amounting to nothing less than an attempt by a senior DOJ official to deny a defendant his right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment through improper and possibly illegal actions.
Trump and Nauta should at least receive an explanation. In cases of alleged prosecutorial misconduct, courts frequently permit the defense to conduct discovery, including depositions and requests for documents and communications, to ascertain the depth, breadth, and consequences of any misconduct that may have taken place. To understand what Bratt said and why, the defense team in this case should ask for his testimony.
The defense attorney should also make an effort to subpoena any communications between Bratt and others in the DOJ or the White House regarding Woodward’s application for a judgeship or Bratt’s general approach to Woodward.I anticipate that these communications will be illuminating and could point to additional wrongdoing by the DOJ, the special counsel’s team, and their political overlords.
All of this is undoubtedly known to the legal teams defending Trump and Nauta, and I have no doubt that they will vigorously pursue this and other lines of defense. However, the American people also have a right to be informed of the full extent of the Department of Justice’s senior officials’ misconduct.
Republicans in Congress should aggressively and publicly demand answers.The House Judiciary Committee has the authority to look into issues involving the federal court system’s administration of justice.To find out what’s going on, it has the authority to subpoena Bratt, the other attorneys working on the Trump prosecution, and top Biden administration officials.
There is no doubt that this is a big deal. Bratt’s actions might even be considered criminal by federal law. Depending on what exactly was said, Bratt’s conduct could constitute attempted witness tampering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(1), attempted federal bribery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(3), attempted extortion by a federal official in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 872, or attempted subornation of perjury in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1622.
Bratt’s actions and any other alleged misconduct by Jack Smith’s team should be the subject of an investigation by a special counsel if the Department of Justice is sincere about treating this case in an open and transparent manner.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/lawyer-witness-trump-docs-probe-alleges-prosecutorial-misconduct-rcna88472
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/08/lawyer-trump-valet-nauta-mar-a-lago-classified-documents-misconduct-allegation
https://theleadingreport.com/2023/07/05/trump-case-likely-to-be-dismissed-due-to-doj-misconduct/
Recent DJT News
- Match Group Soars 8% Amid Potential Sale Pressure; Deutsche Bank Anticipates 2Q Loss, and More • IH Market News • 07/16/2024 10:10:09 AM
- Form EFFECT - Notice of Effectiveness • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 07/16/2024 04:15:15 AM
- Stocks Close On Firm Note; Dow, S&P Hit Fresh Closing Highs • IH Market News • 07/15/2024 08:44:00 PM
- Form 424B3 - Prospectus [Rule 424(b)(3)] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 07/15/2024 08:24:34 PM
- Alphabet Nears $23 Billion Wiz Acquisition, Trump Media Stock Soars 63% Pre-Market, and More • IH Market News • 07/15/2024 10:34:36 AM
- Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes Issues Statement in Response to the Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 07/14/2024 02:39:08 AM
- TMTG Secures Perpetual Licensing for New Technology in Truth Social TV Streaming and Signs Long-Term Equity Deal • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 07/03/2024 08:45:00 PM
- Apple Joins OpenAI Board, Logitech President Opts Out of Reelection, and More News • IH Market News • 07/03/2024 10:59:39 AM
- Trump Media Announces Over $105 Million in Cumulative Proceeds from Warrant Exercise and Over $350 Million in Cash on its Balance Sheet • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 07/02/2024 01:00:00 PM
- Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. Joins Russell 1000 and Russell 3000 Indexes • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 07/01/2024 01:28:31 PM
- Interactive Brokers Loses $48 Million on NYSE, Amazon Achieves Historic Market Value, and More News • IH Market News • 06/27/2024 11:13:41 AM
- SolarEdge Stock Falls 13%, Wegovy Approved in China, Grail Nasdaq Debut, Apple Rejects Meta Chatbot • IH Market News • 06/25/2024 10:36:11 AM
- UPS Divests Coyote Logistics in $1.025 Billion Deal with RXO, Under Armour Agrees to $434 million Settlement, and More News • IH Market News • 06/24/2024 11:00:20 AM
- Trump Media Announces $69.4 Million in Initial Proceeds from Warrant Exercise • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 06/21/2024 09:20:00 PM
- Honeywell Acquires CAES Systems for $1.9 Billion, Sarepta Therapeutics Surges 34%, Gilead Continues Gains • IH Market News • 06/21/2024 12:00:38 PM
- Trump Media Resells Stocks and Warrants; KB Home Exceeds Q2 Expectations, and More News • IH Market News • 06/20/2024 10:55:11 AM
- Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. Announces SEC Effectiveness of Amended Form S-1 • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 06/18/2024 08:30:01 PM
- FDA Panel Supports Eli Lilly’s Donanemab, Rio Tinto Expands Stake in Boyne Smelters, and More News • IH Market News • 06/11/2024 11:11:40 AM
- Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. Files Amended S-1 with the SEC • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 06/10/2024 03:08:45 PM
- Apollo Buys 49% of Intel’s Irish Plant for $11bn, BlackRock and Citadel to Create Texas Exchange, and More News • IH Market News • 06/05/2024 11:41:36 AM
- DJT Stock Falls 6% Post-Trump Conviction; UBS Restructures Senior Management for CEO Succession and More News • IH Market News • 05/31/2024 11:54:10 AM
- Trump Media Shares Drop Following Donald Trump Conviction • IH Market News • 05/31/2024 09:19:39 AM
- CalPERS to Oppose Exxon Mobil Directors; Microsoft Unveils Copilot+ PCs with AI Focus, and More News • IH Market News • 05/21/2024 11:18:35 AM
- TMTG Reports First Quarter 2024 Results • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 05/20/2024 08:05:00 PM
- Chubb Stock Soars 9% with Berkshire Acquisition, AST SpaceMobile jumps 37% on AT&T deal, and More News • IH Market News • 05/16/2024 11:27:07 AM
Greenlite Ventures Completes Agreement with No Limit Technology • GRNL • Jul 19, 2024 10:00 AM
VAYK Expects Revenue from First Airbnb Property Starting from August • VAYK • Jul 18, 2024 9:00 AM
North Bay Resources Acquires Mt. Vernon Gold Mine, Sierra County, California, with Assays up to 4.8 oz. Au per Ton • NBRI • Jul 18, 2024 9:00 AM
Nightfood Holdings Signs Letter of Intent for All-Stock Acquisition of CarryOutSupplies.com • NGTF • Jul 17, 2024 1:00 PM
Kona Gold Beverages Reaches Out to Largest Debt Holder for Debt Purchase Negotiation • KGKG • Jul 17, 2024 9:00 AM
Avant Technologies Welcomes Back Former CEO with Eye Toward Future Growth and Expansion • AVAI • Jul 17, 2024 8:00 AM