Donald Trump's strategy is to bet one juror will be 'in his camp': ex-prosecutor
Donald Trump's strategy for dealing with the criminal classified documents case against him is to hold out hope that at least one juror is a die-hard supporter who will refuse to convict him, according to a formal federal prosecutor.
Former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance, who spent 20 years as a federal prosecutor, appeared on MSNBC late Thursday night and was asked about whether Walt Nauta will continue to be aligned with Trump all the way to trial. Specifically, the host asked, "Do you think there is a point at which Nauta may have to go it alone and a break from him?"
Vance replied, "If this were a typical case, and you had a defendant whose lawyers were evaluating his prospects, you would look at the evidence, you would look at the severity of the charges, and you would feel confident that there would if not be a plea at least be serious negotiations, but that might be off the table."
She next added:
"This could be another situation like the one with Trump's longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg, who went to prison and stood by the former president's side rather than cutting the sort of deal that could've saved him. We could well see Nauta engage in that sort of behavior."
Vance was further asked if taking the case to trial is the right move for Trump and Nauta.
"Again, it's a nuanced question," she answered. "I suppose the question is, what outcome are you seeking? Are you trying to go to prison for his little time as possible given the overwhelming evidence here? And that doesn't seem to be the strategy. We don't seem to know what's on the former president's mind, but I think it's an earnest guess to say that he hopes that one or more of the jurors will be in his camp and will not vote to convict him."
Vance elaborated, saying, "That's what prosecutors would call some form of jury nullification. Even though the evidence is there for whatever reason one or more jurors don't vote to convict and that seems to be Trump's strategy, with a sort of healthy side dose of delay tactics.