According to legal experts, prosecutors do not like giving witness immunity, especially in high-profile cases, as it makes it significantly more difficult to prosecute individuals who have pleaded guilty. tell. Instead, prosecutors favor entering into cooperation agreements in which witnesses agree to answer investigators’ questions in exchange for not being charged or for a shorter prison sentence. .
The Justice Department declined to comment.
In May, prosecutors issued subpoenas for all of the classified documents Mr. Trump was still in possession of after returning 15 boxes of government documents in January. And after investigators believe the former president and his lawyers failed to turn over all the documents in his possession, The FBI conducted a court-approved search of Mar-a-Lago in August, took away an archive of some 22,000 pages.
The investigation became mired a month later when a federal judge in Florida, at Trump’s request, appoint an independent arbitratorso-called special masters, to review seized material for anything that might be shielded by attorney-client or executive privilege from investigation.
The work of the special master is proceeding in a direction separate from the main investigation and is already fraught with disputes. But on Monday, the Justice Department and Mr. Trump’s lawyers finally settled an issue, saying in a letter that they had resolved all of their disagreements regarding about 500 pages of the document. seized is likely to be protected by attorney-client privilege.
Proof of intent often a challenge for prosecutors, and that roadblock has come up several times in various investigations into Mr. So prosecutors are particularly focused on Mr. Nauta because he can provide insight into Mr. Trump’s intentions as he thwarts the Justice Department’s attempt to reclaim documents from him at the same time. documents are forwarded to Mar-a-Lago.
If the boxes were moved against the wishes of the Justice Department or to conceal them from authorities, it could help prosecutors develop an obstruction investigation.
Mr. Nauta, a native of Guam and a US Navy sailor, became close to Mr. Trump during his years in the White House, when he worked as a cook in the Navy mess at the White House and later as a valet in the White House. West Wing. He was a regular around Mr. Trump, bringing him his usual Diet Cokes or bringing him things to and from the White House residence.
