I think what was educated speculation previously has now been confirmed.
FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence, August 8, 2022, Case Dismissed July 15, 2024
I’m looking at this right now:
ETA:
The filing:
The relevant bit (starting on page 4):
Not only are Nauta, De Oliveira and Trump likely disadvantaged by this turn of events, but I’m guessing that Mr Woodward will be facing some very uncomfortable questions in the near future himself.
I think that’s exactly right.
Agreed. I got the impression from the transcripts that he wasn’t very keen on following through with what “the Boss” wanted. I heard a fair amount of geekspeak that boiled down to “I don’t want to do that.”
Good news anyway (for anyone not named Trump).
Got it. Just saw the filing. But yea, this was all well known, but I guess not in a filing.
The new indictment basically ends with De Oliveira telling Taveras to delete the serves. Taveras says he doesn’t have the rights (admin IT rights) - not that he won’t do it - he just can’t. Taveras says you need to contact IT guy at Trump Org - they have the IT rights. De Oliveira says the boss wants it done. End scene.
Clearly more happened to obstruct this case after that. Interestingly, the timeline in the latest indictment starts to come very close to the point were Judge Cannon, oddly, ruled that the FBI had to stop investigating (in the special master case). Nothing to indicate Judge Cannon had any knowledge of obstruction.
Edit to add late: Nothing to indicate Judge Cannon had any knowledge of obstruction.
Yeeks. That would be a bombshell.
Nah.
Maybe?
And here I thought she was just dumb as a MAGAt! (And she probably is.)
Known as “pulling a Hutchinson.” (Yes, I know others have done it.)
Trump Employee 4 informed Chief Judge Boasberg that he no longer wished to be represented by Mr. Woodward and that, going forward, he wished to be represented by the First Assistant Federal Defender. Immediately after receiving new counsel, Trump Employee 4 retracted his prior false testimony and provided information that implicated Nauta, De Oliveira, and Trump in efforts to delete security camera footage, as set forth in the superseding indictment.
Bolding mine. Will there be negative implications for Mr. Woodward, the previous lawyer? I mean, it would appear that he suborned perjury. I guess that would depend on exactly what Taveras said that Woodward told him to say…
Edit: I’m late to the party as usual…
It’s not the only explanation for what’s happening, but it’s the most likely one.
She’s also who came to mind for me. In her case, Cassidy had Stefan Passantino (Trump’s “ethics attorney”, probably as useful as Trump’s dietician) as her lawyer and would-be puppet master. She said no thanks and got Jody Hunt instead, and wisely chose to testify and tell the truth rather than becoming another accessory to Trump’s crimes.
I suspect that she and Yuscil can serve as examples for others in Trump’s orbit; this is how to dig yourself out of that hole.
I’m not getting what you’re hinting at. That the crew was in the process of hiding the evidence, but not fast enough, so they got Cannon to make that weird ruling to slow the FBI down?
I doubt Cannon is directly tied in any way to Trump. But I just took @CoolHandCox’s data point a step further to speculate that Cannon might have acted on her own initiative to forestall further FBI investigation. As she appears to have done several times now.
And believe me, that would be shocking enough. Which is why I don’t really believe it’s the case.
And even if true, is very likely unprovable to any relevant legal standard.
But how would she have known that the investigation needed forestalling? And what does it have to do with the timing in the latest indictment?
I know. I just want this whole thing to go up like an atomic shitbomb.
She has had access to a lot more stuff available in sealed pleadings than we’re privy to.
Forget I said anything, please. It’s rank speculation, and Cannon’s bias is already clear for most to see. But even she is probably not dumb enough to try to use confidential information to guide the DOJ’s investigation in any especial direction.
Just a short little phone call from any one of the many people connected with the destruction of evidence. On orders from “The Boss” who initially wanted the server deleted.
Oh for goodness sakes, I cannot image the earthquake that would happen if the judge is complicit rather than incompetent.
Cannon also made some odd moves to block a Garcia hearing in relation to Nauta, which would have put the issue of Woodward’s potential conflict of interest in front of the defendant. If the hearing had gone forward, and Nauta had taken the hint, he might be doing what Taveras is.
That’s what I was getting at. But I’m going to respect @Aspenglow’s request and forget she ever hinted at something so speculative.