(CN) — A second defense attorney who has represented witnesses in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago case argued Wednesday in a court filing it was unnecessary to hold a hearing to address potential conflicts of interest in the case.
Federal prosecutors have only speculated about potential conflicts in the case, but offered no concrete concerns, wrote John Irving, an attorney for Trump co-defendant Carlos De Oliveira, in a response filed in the Southern District Court of Florida.
Irving acknowledged he once represented three witnesses in the case but said new, independent counsel “is being made available to advise them going forward.”
It’s De Oliveira’s trial rights at stake, Irving wrote, so “there is no need to parade the witnesses before the press so that the court can make an inquiry of them, where it is unclear what such an inquiry or its effect would be.”
Federal prosecutors have argued a tangled web of attorney-client relationships threatens to turn a May trial for Trump and his two employees into an ethical morass.
Irving and Stanley Woodward, who represents Trump aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta, have represented multiple witnesses in the case, including a Mar-a-Lago information technology specialist who claims De Oliveira pressured him to delete incriminating security footage at the Florida resort on behalf of “the boss.”
De Oliveira and Nauta face obstruction-related charges related to those allegations, while Trump stands accused of mishandling classified documents after he left the White House.
Irving wrote Wednesday that he was not aware of any “confidential information” he might have learned from the three witnesses that would help his client at trial. He suggested that Donnie Murrell, De Oliveira's Florida counsel, cross-examine them at trial, thereby avoiding any conflicts.
Irving said he would not oppose a closed hearing between the judge and De Oliveira to ensure his client is advised of any potential conflicts. Woodward has offered a similar solution to the issue.
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