Donald Trump’s assistant, Waltine Nauta, was brought into the classified documents case

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Over the years, Waltine Nauta has been pictured carrying various things around Donald Trumps: mobile phones, a red tie, a briefcase. But it was the cardboard boxes that put the personal aide in legal jeopardy alongside her boss.

Nauta was indicted last week as an alleged co-conspirator in a Department of Justice case over Trump’s handling of classified documents, making him part of the first federal indictment brought against a former president. of the US.

The indictment catapulted the executive assistant from a behind-the-scenes job into a central role in Trumps orbit, as the former president battles multiple criminal charges while campaigning for a second term in the White House.

Trump has managed to cultivate deep loyalty among many of his closest aides over the years. Keith Schiller, his longtime bodyguard, headed Oval Office operations; John McEntee, a former personal aide, continued to serve in his administration; and Matthew Calamari, a former security guard, now an executive at the Trump Organization.

But whether Nauta remains steadfast and refuses to turn on Trump despite legal pressure on him could prove crucial to the former president’s chances of defeating the case.

Nauta will feel continued pressure to resolve the allegations against him, said David Alan Sklansky, a professor at Stanford Law School. In particular, an allegation that he lied to the FBI puts him at significant legal risk and he may decide that’s a risk he wants to try to address, he added.

Nauta, who was born in the US territory of Guam, served in the navy for 20 years, enlisting in 2001. He was part of culinary teams deployed across the US, from a strike fighter squadron in California to the USS Taylor destroyer and a submarine base in Georgia. He joined the culinary staff at the White House in 2012. During Trumps presidency, he served as a White House valet.

He remained with Trump after his boss lost the 2020 presidential election and was forced to leave the White House for his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Nauta then became his executive assistant in August 2021, reporting to the former president and becoming his personal assistant, or body man.

The indictment describes Nauta as central to the movement of classified material throughout Mar-a-Lago, bringing boxes to the Trumps’ residence for his review after the National Archives repeatedly demanded the return of the records, beginning in May 2021.

When the FBI asked Nauta a year later if he knew where the boxes were stored, he said: I wish, I wish I could tell you. I do not know. I dont I dont I honestly dont know, according to the indictment.

After the grand jury issued a subpoena to Trump in May 2022, Nauta allegedly moved about half of the boxes to a storage room at the Trumps’ request. The lawyer assigned to review the material in the storage room was not even informed. As a result, many boxes were not searched and many documents…were not seen by counsel, the DoJ said in court filings.

The DoJ indictment said Nauta took pictures of documents, including a classified record, that had fallen to the ground in a storage room at the Mar-a-Lago Justice Department via Reuters

The indictment contains images of documents stored throughout Mar-a-Lago. One of the most striking photos was taken by Nauta, according to the complaint, showing a box tied up and documents scattered on the floor, including one marked SECRET and meant to be shared only with US allies.

I opened the door and saw this… he texted an unnamed Trump employee next to the photo, according to the court filing.

The indictment unsealed last week lists 37 counts against Trump, and six criminal charges against Nauta, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealing a document from a federal investigation and making false statements. . If convicted, the maximum prison time for each count ranges between five and 20 years, though experts say Nauta is unlikely to serve that much time if convicted.

The details in the complaint, including Nautas’ text messages, provide as much weight of evidence against him, said Ryan Goodman, a professor at the NYU School of Law, as if this were an ordinary trial with an ordinary judge assigned. case, one would expect someone in his situation to try to take a plea deal.

So far, Nauta has appeared to maintain a unified front with Trump. He traveled in a motorcade of former presidents to the Miami courthouse for their first appearances, and accompanied him on a surprise post-hearing visit to Versailles, a popular Cuban-American restaurant in the city’s Little Havana neighborhood, back to the airport. .

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Before the indictment was unsealed last week, Trump described Nauta on social media as a wonderful person who did an amazing job.

Trump has a reason to keep his body onside. If Nauta cooperates, it could be catastrophic for the defense, said Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School.

While Nauta appeared at the same hearing as Trump, he, unlike his boss, did not enter a plea, as he was unable to find a local attorney to represent him.

He is expected to plead not guilty the first time, but that could change as the case unfolds. Prosecutors could add more pressure by threatening him with additional charges, Goodman said.

Nautas’ attorney declined to comment on the charges and his initial appearance in a Miami courthouse. He is scheduled to return there to be arraigned on June 27.

Randy Zelin, adjunct professor at Cornell Law School, said that if Nauta had cooperated from the start, he would not have been charged, a testament to his loyalty to the former president. It probably makes it less likely that he’ll flip on Trump, unless he looks around and says I’m going to jail for this?

Additional reporting by Lauren Fedor

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