by Hugo Lowell at The Guardian
Stanley Woodward claims that a prosecutor commented on his judicial application at a meeting at justice department headquarters in Washington. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA
The lawyer for Donald Trump’s valet, under scrutiny in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation, has submitted court papers describing a meeting at which a top federal prosecutor brought up his application to be a judge when they tried to gain the valet’s cooperation last year, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The allegation, described in a letter filed under seal with the chief US judge in Washington, James Boasberg, could affect the investigation just as prosecutors are considering whether to bring charges.
Even though prosecutors have no control over the success of judicial applications, the fact that it was raised in the context of trying to persuade a lawyer for a witness to recommend cooperating could give the appearance of coercion in one of the justice department’s most high-profile cases.
At issue is an incident that took place last year, around November, when prosecutors were trying to gain the cooperation of valet Walt Nauta, who has been under scrutiny because prosecutors suspected he helped the former president conceal classified documents that had been subpoenaed.
Nauta had already spoken to prosecutors in the investigation…
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