This is how DOJ described the August 24, 2022 meeting with Woodward–about 2 weeks after FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago.
Nauta is one of Trump's closest personal aides. pic.twitter.com/EZmDIjnoCq
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) April 24, 2024
The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case has ordered another round of unsealing of evidence in the case, with the latest batch exposing that one of the Justice Department’s top lawyers went so far as to threaten the attorney of a Trump defendant.
Investigative reporter Julie Kelly revealed the previously redacted story of attorney Stanley Woodward’s meeting with DOJ prosecutor Jay Bratt where they met to discuss the trial of his client and former Trump aide Walt Nauta. According to one of the documents, which corroborates statements by Nauta’s defense team last year, Woodward was cautioned by Bratt against representing his client, and if he proceeded then his application for a judgeship may be tanked.
“Upon Mr. Woodward’s arrival at Main Justice, he was led to a conference room where Mr. Bratt awaited with what appeared to be a folder containing information about Mr. Woodward,” the document reads. “Mr. Bratt thereupon told Mr. Woodward he didn’t consider him to be a ‘Trump lawyer,’ and he further said that he was aware that Mr. Woodward had been recommended to President Biden for an appointment to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.”
“Mr. Bratt followed up with words to the effect of ‘I wouldn’t want to do anything to mess that up,” it goes on.
In other words, the document concludes, DOJ was leaning on Nauta’s attorney to “‘play ball or you have no chance of becoming a judge.’”