Trump's co-defendant and valet Walt Nauta had a case of "cold feet" after lying to the FBI, ultimately causing him to revise his story, according to legal experts.
Former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Weissmann made the observation on Twitter Friday, saying, we can connect some dots based on how Nauta was charged by prosecutors. Nauta recently pleaded not guilty at his arraignment following delays in the hearing.
"That Nauta was not charged with lying to grand jury in June but is charged with lying to FBI in May means he changed his tune by June," Weissmann said. "Prosecutors would otherwise have charged perjury in [grand jury] (which is recorded) as it’s a stronger charge than lying to the FBI in an interview."
The former Justice Department Inspector General Michael Bromwich also commented on Weissmann's stated theory.
"Special Counsel/FBI are now audiotaping all interviews during their investigations, so proving lies during interviews is proved the same way as lying in the GJ," Bromwich wrote on Friday.
Former federal prosecutor Harry Litman further agreed with Weissmann's argument, and implied that Nauta could at some point decide to testify in court against Trump.
"Yes, he got cold feet when it was time to go before GJ. I think they also knew by then he was going to come clean in GJ," Litman added Friday. "Really interesting to think about his situation and what is keeping him so in lockstep-cheesteak-loyalty w/ Trump -- for now anyway..."
