Former President Donald Trump’s valet, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of assisting Trump in concealing classified documents from federal authorities. Nauta was accompanied by his newly hired Florida-based lawyer as the case progresses. In June, Nauta and Trump were charged in a 38-count indictment for mishandling classified documents. Nauta’s arraignment had been delayed twice due to difficulties in finding a licensed lawyer in Florida, as well as travel complications.
Prior to his arraignment, Nauta enlisted the services of Sasha Dadan, a criminal defense attorney and former public defender, whose primary law office is located in Fort Pierce. This choice of representation aligns with the fact that the trial judge is based in the same city. During the court appearance, Nauta and his Washington lawyer, Stanley Woodward, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. When asked if he had reviewed the indictment, Nauta responded affirmatively. After the arraignment, Nauta and his legal team left the courthouse and declined to answer reporters’ questions as they entered a Mercedes-Benz sedan.
On June 13, Trump also pleaded not guilty to charges, including the willful retention of national defense information, during his arraignment. However, Nauta’s arraignment had to be postponed due to the lawyer situation. The date was further pushed back last week when a flight from New Jersey was canceled. The indictment, filed by special counsel Jack Smith and his team, accuses Nauta of conspiring with Trump to conceal records that Trump had taken from the White House after his term ended in January 2021.
According to prosecutors, Nauta, at the direction of the former president, relocated boxes of documents with classification markings to ensure they would not be discovered by a Trump lawyer who was responsible for searching the residence for classified records to be returned to the government. This led to a false claim that a thorough search for classified documents had been conducted and that all subpoenaed documents had been returned to the Justice Department. Prosecutors also allege that Nauta misled the FBI during an interview by stating that he had no knowledge of boxes of documents being brought to Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.
(Read more classified information stories.)
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