Former President Donald Trump’s co-defendants have waived concerns about their attorneys representing witnesses in the classified documents case against Trump. During a hearing in Fort Pierce, Florida, Trump’s personal aide Walt Nauta expressed no worries about his attorney, Stanley Woodward, representing multiple witnesses in the case. Nauta confirmed that he still chose Woodward as his lawyer despite the potential conflicts of interest.
Last week, maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira, who works at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, also waived any concerns about his attorney representing witnesses in the case. Prosecutors had raised the issue of a potential conflict of interest, but De Oliveira dismissed their concerns.
Woodward and the prosecutors, led by special counsel Jack Smith, have been battling over these conflicts in court filings and in front of Judge Aileen Cannon. However, during the hearing, Woodward agreed not to cross-examine witnesses he has represented or is currently representing.
One of the witnesses, Yuscil Taveras, an IT director at Mar-a-Lago, reached an agreement with prosecutors after switching attorneys from Woodward. Prosecutors allege that De Oliveira asked Taveras about deleting security footage at the Florida property, claiming that “the boss” wanted it deleted. Taveras told De Oliveira that he did not know how to delete the footage and believed he did not have the right to do so.
Nauta’s attorney accused prosecutors of trying to micromanage how he would handle any potential conflicts of interest in the upcoming trial, which is currently scheduled for May 2024.
During the previous week’s hearing, where both De Oliveira and Nauta were expected to address the potential conflicts, prosecutors brought up arguments against Woodward that they had not previously presented to the court. Judge Cannon reprimanded the prosecutors for wasting the court’s time and rescheduled Nauta’s appearance for the following Friday.
Trump’s attorneys continue to push for a delay in the trial until after the November 2024 election. It remains uncertain if the recent slight delays will benefit their cause or be insignificant in the larger courtroom drama.