FORT PIERCE, Fla. – A federal prosecutor on Wednesday angrily dismissed allegations of vindictive stalking and prosecutorial misconduct by a former president. Donald Trump‘s co-suspects classified documents casecalling some claims “garbage” and “fantasy”.
“It was a tough one to dwell on,” said prosecutor David Harbach, referring to defense attorney Stanley Woodward’s arguments to U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon. Walt Nautawas accused of retaliation for non-cooperation with the government.
“It’s a garbage argument,” Harbach said, before dismissing Woodward’s claims that another prosecutor in special counsel Jack Smith’s office was inadequate. He tried to put pressure on Woodward filing for a judgeship in Washington during the meeting.
Woodward’s account of what happened in the August 2022 meeting between Mr. Woodward and Prosecutor Jay Bratt is “fantasy,” Harbach said. “It didn’t happen,” he said, adding that even if it did, it still wouldn’t meet the standard for vindictive prosecution.
Harbach, who was not at the meeting, said under Cannon’s questioning that Woodward’s quotes from the meeting were “fragmented” and “out of context.”
Harbach looked flustered back and forth, and at one point the umpire interjected, “I’m going to ask you to calm down.”
Woodward maintained that his account of the meeting was correct. He said “Such things happened” regarding his claims. “I realized then that Mr. Nauta’s refusal to cooperate could be used against him.”
He told the judge that he was ready to act as a witness and testify under oath about the meeting. Bratt was also in court for the hearing, but did not address the judge during the morning hearing.
Cannon is set to hold another hearing later in the afternoon on Nauta’s motion to dismiss charges against all three co-defendants in the case — Trump, his aide Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion. due to procedural errors alleged in the indictment.
The case was scheduled to go to trial on Monday, but Cannon, a Trump nominee, entered the pleas. the probationary period is postponed indefinitely earlier this month, citing the many legal issues it still has to resolve, including motions to dismiss.
Trump faces dozens of serious crimes in the case, including willful withholding of national defense information, false statements and representations, conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealment of a document or record, and corrupt concealment of a document. Nauta and de Oliveira are accused of helping Trump hide documents, lying to federal investigators about their involvement and plotting to delete Mar-a-Lago security footage subpoenaed by the Justice Department. All three pleaded not guilty.