Trump Aide Walt Nauta Pleads Not Guilty After Being Charged In Classified Documents Case

Along with indicting Donald Trump on Thursday, the Department of Justice has also brought charges against Trump’s personal aide, Walt Nauta, for his involvement in handling special documents. He currently faces six federal charges.

On Tuesday at around 1:50 p.m., Nauta and Trump arrived at the federal courthouse in Miami for their arraignments. They were immediately arrested and booked, each giving fingerprint and DNA samples. Nauta had his mugshot taken.

Nauta, a native of Guam, worked as a White House valet during Trump’s term as president. Valets in the White House are known to get within close proximity to the president, as they are often present on trips and during meals.

Trump and Nauta forged a close friendship while working together. When Trump left office, Nauta retired as a White House aide and began working as Trump’s “body man,” helping him with personal chores and sometimes acting as his security. He resided mainly at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, where the former president concealed the classified documents.

Nauta has been a subject of the Department of Justice’s investigation since appearing in surveillance footage of Trump’s vacation home that was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury. The tapes reveal Nauta moving boxes of documents in and out of a storage room, an act that he had previously denied.

The special counsel’s office alleges that the former president instructed Nauta to move the documents after officials from the National Archives pushed for their return and sent FBI agents to raid the Mar-a-Lago residence. Nauta initially told investigators that he did not touch the boxes, a lie that led them to believe he was attempting to obstruct justice.

Over the past few days, Trump has taken to social media to condemn the indictments against him. In true fashion, the former president is blaming the Department of Justice for unfairly charging him on accounts of political disagreement. He defended Nauta in a Truth Social post on Friday.

“I have just learned that the ‘Thugs’ from the Department of Injustice will be indicting a wonderful man, Walt Nauta,” Trump wrote. “He has done a fantastic job! They are trying to destroy his life, like the lives of so many others, hoping that he will say bad things about ‘Trump.’ He is strong, brave, and a Great Patriot. The FBI and DOJ are CORRUPT!”

Prosecutors had been on the fence about charging Nauta since the fall when they were trying to persuade him to cooperate with their investigation. Nauta repeatedly declined.

Nauta’s lawyers, who are being paid by Trump, have declined to comment on the charges brought against him.

Article by Ava Lombardi