Lawyer For Trump’s Co-Defendant Says Biden DOJ Offered Him Quid Pro Quo

 Attorney Stanley Woodward has alleged that someone in President Joe Biden’s Justice Department had offered him a quid pro quo — in the form of a potentially fast-tracked judicial appointment — if he and his client were to cooperate against former President Donald Trump.

Woodward is representing Trump’s co-defendant Walt Nauta in the federal case regarding classified documents, and he said in a court filing that Jay Bratt — head of the Counterintelligence Section of DOJ’s National Security Division — had “suggested Woodward’s judicial application [for a DC Superior Court judgeship] might be considered more favorably if he and his client cooperated against Trump.”

The allegation was reportedly made in a letter filed under seal with Judge James Boasberg, the chief U.S. Judge in Washington, and details an incident that Woodward says took place in November of 2022, when prosecutors were attempting to convince Nauta to cooperate in the case against Trump.

Former federal prosecutor Will Scharf laid out some of the details in a tweet on Thursday:

“Far and away the most troubling side story to emerge from this saga so far are the allegations made by Trump aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta’s lawyer last week,” Scharf said, adding, “You may have missed it if you blinked. Not surprisingly, the mainstream media has mostly buried this one.”

“Nauta’s lawyer, Stanley Woodward[,] alleged in a court filing that during a meeting with prosecutors about his client’s case, the head of the Counterintelligence Section of DOJ’s National Security Division Jay Bratt ‘suggested Woodward’s judicial application [for a DC Superior Court judgeship] might be considered more favorably if he and his client cooperated against Trump,’” Scharf continued.

 

“If true, and I find it hard to believe that Woodward just made the whole thing up, this is wild misconduct. Truly wild. It could undermine the entire case against both Trump and Nauta. It could end careers at DOJ if fairly investigated,” Scharf said, adding some context about Woodward’s professional history and reputation and arguing that he didn’t seem likely to simply invent such an accusation.

“This is not some fly by night TV lawyer. He’s a real deal legal heavyweight, and he’s leveling an extremely serious allegation of misconduct against a senior official at DOJ,” Scharf concluded. “Watch this issue as the case against Trump and Nauta begins to move. You’ll hear more about it, I’m sure.”