Judge Chides Gregory Craig for Speaking to Witness During Trial

A federal judge reprimanded former Obama White House Counsel Gregory Craig for approaching a former colleague who was testifying as a government witness in its criminal false statements case against him.

Craig saw Skadden partner Michael Loucks outside the courthouse, went up to him, and shook his hand, William Taylor, one of Craig’s attorneys, told U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson Aug. 16. Loucks had just finished answering prosecutor’s questions about his work for a pro-Russian regime of the Ukrainian government and was still under oath awaiting defense cross-examination the following morning.

“Mr. Craig said ‘I know I’m not supposed to do this, but I just wanted to say hello,’” Taylor recounted.

Craig is a former partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and had worked alongside Loucks during his time at the firm. He’s facing one count of scheming to mislead federal investigators about his efforts to develop a report for Ukraine’s government, and the case stems from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to even go up to a witness in a friendly way,” especially in the middle of testimony, Jackson said Aug. 16. She warned Craig to resist the temptation to reconnect with colleagues during the course of the trial.

Craig then stood up and apologized to Jackson, saying his actions were “impulsive” and wouldn’t happen again. No sanctions were imposed on Craig or his defense team as a result of the misstep.