Donald Trump's former White House communications aide is another in a long line warning the former president's valet, Walt Nauta, to find a safe exit for himself. Nauta is the aide accused of following Trump's orders to move boxes full of classified documents around Mar-a-Lago and has been charged as a co-conspirator.
CNN's Jake Tapper asked former aide Sarah Matthews if someone like Nauta could end up being a cooperator with federal authorities.
"Do you think Nauta is someone Trump can trust, who is, you know, enthralled, who believes all the crazy election lies, etc, etc?" asked Tapper. "Or is it possible that he might flip? John Dean from Watergate fame was on the show yesterday and said that his message to Nauta would be get your own lawyer and start cooperating so that you don't have to go down with the ship."
Matthews confessed she doesn't know Nauta personally, so she's unsure as to whether he's a true Trump believer, but she agrees with the advice.
"I think if we know anything about Donald Trump, loyalty is a one-way street with him. He demands it from everyone but gives it to no one. So, I hope that Walt Nauta is getting sound advice from his loved ones around him to hire a lawyer that is looking out for his best interests rather than Trump's best interests. And that's typically what happens when you have a Trump-paid lawyer."
She recalled Mark Meadows' aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who was one of the key witnesses in the Jan. 6th House Select Committee. She began being represented by a lawyer that was paid for by Trump's super PAC, but she later changed lawyers.
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was another person that warned Nauta on Monday that he should save himself.
Stephanie Grisham, former top Trump aide and the first lady's chief of staff, said that Nauta and Trump have always been close, which is something that tends to happen among personal aides and their officials.
"But I think what people need to remember is — and this was alluded to in the previous interview — or the previous reporter said Walt has to be feeling trapped even a little bit right now," said Grisham. "It is very expensive to have to hire attorneys to fight, of course, the justice system but also to fight Donald Trump. He's famous for keeping people up in litigation. I have been subject to it, and it's terrifying. And if you don't have the finances to do it, you're going to take any free lawyer you can get. And then another thing I will say is to leave that circle has got to be scary right now, too. Because it's all hands on deck and the wagons are circling."
See the conversation in the video below or at the link here.