'Standing by his man': Walt Nauta shows no signs of flipping on Trump to avoid jail — yet
June 12, 2023
Former President Donald Trump's valet, Walt Nauta, who has also been indicted along with his boss in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, is traveling alongside the former president, and shows no signs of flipping on him — but could face increasing pressure to do so, reported CNN's Brian Todd on Monday.
"He could be an incredibly pivotable figure in this case, especially if he flips on his boss," said Todd. "Standing by his man, for now, 40-year-old Walt Nauta, former President Donald Trump's personal aide who was indicted along with Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, traveled with his boss to campaign stops in Georgia and North Carolina over the weekend, and to Miami, where they'll both face court appearances tomorrow."
"He had conversations with the former president the government doesn't know about now and doesn't have any other way to get," said CNN legal analyst Jennifer Rodgers. "So I think if he wants to, he can still cooperate."
The broader indictment accuses Trump of 37 counts, including Espionage Act offenses and obstruction of justice. The former president allegedly had boxes of highly classified documents moved around, usually to completely unsecured areas, to hide them not just from authorities but from his own attorneys who were demanding they be returned.
"Walt Nauta faces six counts, including some related to obstruction and concealment of the documents," said Todd. "Prosecutors say Nauta lied to investigators when they asked if he knew where Trump's boxes of documents were stored before they were found in Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago. Nauta said, quote, 'I wish I could tell you, I honestly just don't know.' But prosecutors say Nauta himself actually helped move about 64 boxes from a storage room at Mar-a-Lago at Trump's direction."
"As a Navy man, he must've had some sensitivity to highly classified material," said former Nixon White House counsel John Dean. "But yet he certainly did the president's wishes, according to the allegations in the indictment."
"A native of Guam, [Nauta] is a Navy veteran who started his service to the then-president while in the White House mess hall," said Todd. "The indictment says he then became a White House valet to Trump. And, according to The New York Times, was often, quote, 'bringing him Diet Cokes, ensuring the president's suit was pressed, and carrying hairspray or hand sanitizer to meet Mr. Trump's needs.' After his service at the White House, the indictment says Nauta served Trump at Mar-a-Lago as his, quote, bodyman. The Times citing co-workers who said that Trump trusted him and liked him immensely. On his Truth Social platform, Trump posted that Nauta is a 'wonderful man' being indicted by Justice Department 'thugs' who were, quote, 'trying to destroy his life.' Walt Nauta now finds himself in the company of former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, people who worked directly with Trump who were targeted by prosecutors."
Watch the segment below or at this link.
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