Staff Reports
David Harbach faced trouble in a Florida court hearing for former President Donald Trump’s co-defendants De Oliveira and Nauta. His conflict of interest argument backfired, angering Judge Aileen Cannon, as reported by The Epoch Times.
Harbach claimed the attorneys for De Oliveira and Nauta had conflicts of interest, hindering the defense's ability to challenge the character and credibility of former clients in cross-examinations. However, his argument was quickly dismissed due to his stumbling presentation.
Despite his previous setback, Harbach reiterated the argument during Nauta's subsequent hearing, prompting another objection from the defense and further delaying the proceedings. Judge Cannon rebuked Harbach for citing cases from different judicial circuits as precedents and voiced frustration over his unclear objectives, questioning whether he sought to prevent the attorneys from interrogating their former clients.
Independent journalist Julie Kelly took to Twitter to applaud Judge Cannon for putting Harbach and the special counsel’s office in their place. She described the situation as Smith’s team being “slapped HARD” and praised the judge as a hero. Clearly, Harbach’s arguments failed to impress.
The crux of the issue arose when Judge Cannon pointed out a discrepancy between Harbach’s filings and his actual argument. In response, Harbach attempted to argue his point with the judge but found himself quickly shut down. Ultimately, Judge Cannon postponed a hearing on De Oliveira’s understanding of his lawyer’s potential conflicts of interest.
In a final blow to special counsel Jack Smith’s team, Judge Cannon admonished them for wasting the court’s time. She expressed disappointment with their actions, as reported by The Washington Post. It seems that Harbach’s attempts to argue a conflict of interest fell flat, leaving the special counsel’s office reeling from this courtroom fiasco.
