According to a court filing by special counsel Jack Smith, the federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. that was investigating the alleged mismanagement of classified documents by former president Donald Trump has concluded its work. In addition, the filing disclosed additional information regarding the investigation’s covert expansion to include an examination of alleged efforts to conceal evidence.
David Harbach, Smith’s subordinate, submitted the 12-page document. This development occurred during a contentious debate between prosecutors and defense attorneys regarding the use of two distinct grand juries to investigate President Trump’s alleged accumulation of classified materials at his private residence, Mar-a-Lago. Former President Donald Trump is charged with illegally retaining classified national defense information following his departure from the White House and obstructing government efforts to recover said material.
In the filing submitted on Tuesday, the prosecutors justify the use of a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., and another in Florida to review the case’s evidence. They argue that this dual approach was necessary to obtain insight into the purported illegal conduct that occurred in both locations.
Two Trump administration officials are accused of making false statements to the grand jury convened in Washington, DC, according to prosecutors. Carlos De Oliveira, a person implicated in the aforementioned case, has been accused of making false statements to FBI agents, though not to the grand jury. In response to these allegations, Mr. De Oliveira has entered a not-guilty plea. In addition, Yuscil Taveras, a technical employee, began cooperating with investigators after Trump’s initial indictment and has not yet been charged with a crime.
The recent court document confirms several previously disclosed details by The Washington Post. Taveras’ decision to transfer legal counsel shortly after his indictment in June, and his subsequent provision of evidence against De Oliveira, Trump, and another Trump employee named Waltine “Walt” Nauta, who were all implicated in the case, are examples. Three Florida residents have been accused of conspiring to tamper with Mar-a-Lago security camera footage. The relevant footage captured the relocation of crates containing confidential information within the premises.
According to the petition filed on Tuesday, Taveras, referred to in court documents as “Trump Employee 4”, cooperated after providing misleading answers to the D.C. grand jury earlier this year.
During the March 2023 grand jury proceedings conducted in the District of Columbia, Trump Employee 4 consistently denied or claimed to have no recollection of any interactions or conversations pertinent to Mar-a-Lago security footage. During his testimony before the aforementioned grand jury, De Oliveira denied any communication with Trump Employee 4 regarding security footage. According to the filing, the Government’s evidence indicates that the testimony of Trump Employee 4 and De Oliveira was found to be false. However, after obtaining new legal counsel, Trump Employee 4 recanted his prior fraudulent testimony and divulged information implicating Nauta, De Oliveira, and Trump in attempts to delete security camera footage.
According to the prosecutors, the aforementioned fraudulent statements presented to the grand jury were the basis for the continued use of the federal grand jury in Washington, DC, despite the indictment of Donald Trump by the grand jury in Florida. The presiding judge in the documents case, U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon of Fort Pierce, Florida, demanded an explanation from the government regarding its use of two distinct grand juries in separate jurisdictions.
Attorneys from the Justice Department argue in their submission that the shared representation of Taveras and Nauta by Stan Woodward necessitates an investigation by Judge Cannon into any potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of a defendant and a prosecution witness having the same attorney.
According to the filing by the prosecutors, even if Woodward was unaware during his representation of Taveras that his client would provide incriminating information against Nauta, he is currently aware of this fact. As a result of the prosecution’s contention that Taveras provided false information to the grand jury, his credibility will likely be an issue during the trial.
Cannon has not yet decided whether or not a hearing will be held to address the dispute.
The investigators have conducted exhaustive interviews with witnesses regarding Trump’s political action committee’s payment of attorneys’ fees for witnesses involved in the documents case. According to previous allegations from The Post, the investigators are also investigating whether this legal counsel is subject to any conditions.
The defense attorneys have refuted any allegations of impropriety regarding the payment of legal fees for witnesses by Trump’s Political Action Committee (PAC), emphasizing that this is a common practice among corporations and political campaigns that are under investigation by investigative bodies.
Donald Trump is currently facing accusations in three additional criminal cases. The individual in question has been formally accused in the jurisdictions of Washington and Georgia, specifically for obstructing the progress of the 2020 election at both the federal and state levels. In addition, they face allegations in the state of New York related to the manipulation of company records, specifically reimbursements made to conceal hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.