The House Judiciary Committee is requesting special counsel Jack Smith’s office to provide information about its interactions with attorney Stanley Woodward.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the chair of the panel, sent the letter following Woodward’s complaint about prosecutorial conduct in a recent court filing, as reported by several outlets.
Woodward previously represented Yuscil Taveras and Walt Nauta, both employees at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, at the same time. Due to concerns of a potential conflict of interest, the court allowed Taveras to seek outside counsel.
Taveras eventually reached a cooperation agreement with prosecutors to avoid perjury charges after consulting with the outside counsel, which displeased Woodward and led to Taveras dropping him as his attorney.
Prosecutors now anticipate that Taveras will testify at the trial based on his cooperation agreement, which poses another potential conflict of interest for Woodward, as a former client testifying against a current client.
Earlier, the IT worker implicated Trump, Nauta, and another Mar-a-Lago employee named Carlos de Oliveira before a grand jury in July.
Taveras’ testimony led to Smith’s superseding indictment against the former president, adding new charges.
Woodward also alleged feeling pressured by Justice Department official Jay Bratt after discussing his application for a position on the Washington, D.C., superior court during a private meeting focused on his client Nauta.
In response, Jordan’s letter requests all correspondence between Woodward and prosecutors regarding Nauta, as well as internal communications among senior DOJ officials regarding Woodward’s clients.
The requested documents and relevant information are expected by September 21.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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