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Democrats in the House Judiciary wrote a letter Wednesday calling for the exit US Attorney General Merrick Garland will drop charges against President-elect Donald Trump’s former co-defendants in the classified documents case.
They want Trump valet Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, to drop the charges so Garland can publish the second volume, which is related to the case of classified documents. , from the report of Special Counsel Jack Smith. Smith resigned from the Department of Justice on friday Garland said he will not release the second volume because both men still face prosecution.
Democrats believe Trump will pardon both men, so Garland would have to drop the charges now or the report won’t come out.
“While we understand your honorable and firm adherence to the due process rights of Mr. Nauta and Mr. De Oliveira as criminal defendants, the practical effect of this position is that Volume 2 will almost certainly remain hidden for at least four more years if you don’t release it before President-elect Trump’s inauguration on January 20,” the letter obtained by Fox News says.
TRUMP’S FORMER CO-DEFENDANTS WANT JUDGE TO BLOCK SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S REPORT
Trump drives a golf cart accompanied by aide Walt Nauta before the start of day three of the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club on August 13, 2023 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
“The public interest, however, now demands that the president-elect not shirk his responsibility to the American people,” they added. “Accordingly, to the extent that the tangential charges against Mr. Nauta and Mr. De Oliveira run counter to the overriding imperative of transparency and truth, the interests of justice demand that their cases be dismissed now so that that the entirety of Special Counsel Smith’s report may be released to the American people.”
The letter was signed by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin of Maryland, as well as Democratic committee representatives Jerry Nadler and Dan Goldman of New York; Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, J. Luis Correa, Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Zoe Lofgren from California; Hank Johnson and Lucy McBath of Georgia; Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Pramila Jayapal of Washington; Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania; Joseph Neguse of Colorado; Deborah Ross of North Carolina; Becca Balint of Vermont; Jesus G. “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois; and Jasmine Crockett of Missouri.
Walt Nauta, Trump’s personal assistant, arrives at the Alto Lee Adams Sr. US Courthouse. in Fort Pierce, Florida on August 10, 2023. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
“Obviously, we do not condone the sycophantic, delinquent and criminal behavior of which Messrs. Nauta and De Oliveira are accused,” the letter says. “However, Donald Trump was clearly the mastermind behind this deception operation to conceal and misuse classified material, as evidenced by his indictment on 32 counts of willfully withholding these classified documents, while that his co-defendants were charged with misdemeanors related to obstructing the investigation, largely at the behest of Mr. Trump, under the DOJ’s policy barring indictment or prosecution of a sitting president, Mr. has dodged any criminal responsibility for his own misconduct. Mr. Trump’s victory in 2024 spared him a public trial and robbed the American people of an opportunity learn the meaning and details of his unpatriotic, reckless and intentional misuse of national security information.”
Judge Aileen Cannon will hear arguments on Volume 2 in Fort Pierce, Fla., on Thursday. Garland released Volume 1, focusing on the election interference case, earlier this week.
Lawyers for Nauta and De Oliveira earlier this month asked Cannon to keep the special counsel’s report out of the public eye.
Carlos De Oliveira, property manager of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, arrives at the Alto Lee Adams Sr. US Courthouse. in Fort Pierce, Florida on August 10, 2023. (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump, Nauta and De Oliveira pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging they conspired to obstruct the FBI’s investigation into classified documents. found at Mar-a-Lago.
Smith was tapped by Garland in 2022 to investigate both the alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as well as Trump’s keeping of allegedly classified documents at his Florida residence .
It is common for a special counsel to issue a final report when their work is complete, detailing the findings of their investigation and explaining any charging or declining decisions they made as a result of the investigation. It’s up to Garland whether to release it publicly. In Smith’s case, the prosecutor’s decision is irrelevant, given Trump’s status as president-elect and longstanding Justice Department policy. against filing criminal charges against a sitting president.
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Garland is expected to give his farewell speech at the Justice Department on Thursday afternoon.
