Trump’s most loyal aide Walt Nauta pleads NOT GUILTY in classified document investigation — hours after new evidence revealed he was caught on camera moving boxes BEFORE the Mar-a-Lago raid
- DOJ obtained surveillance video of witnesses moving boxes in Mar-a-Lago
- Nauta made no plea when he appeared next to Trump last month
Donald Trump aide and former “bodyman” Walt Nauta was back in a Miami courthouse on Thursday, weeks after his boss pleaded not guilty to charges of willful possession of national security documents.
He pleaded not guilty to obstruction and other charges against him.
The appearance follows a judge’s decision Wednesday to release previously obscured portions of the warrant investigators obtained to search Mar-a-Lago for classified material.
It contained potentially damaging evidence against the former president’s loyal aide.
Nauta is charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice amid the government’s classified documents investigation into Trump, along with making false statements and concealing documents.
His appearance comes as the extent of the government’s evidence against him and the former president continues to come to light, amid speculation about whether he would ever “flinch” to testify against his boss.
Dozens of witnesses testified, and the FBI obtained photographs and surveillance video in Mar-a-Lago to bolster their case.
The newly revealed material identified an individual as “Witness 5,” believed to be Nauta, who moved boxes of material in the president’s private club. It cites footage from the “South Tunnel Liquor” camera to show the witness moving boxes in and out of storage over a period of days before the FBI search of the club in June 2022.
Walt Nauta, personal assistant to former US President Donald Trump, and his DC attorney Stanley Woodward arrive at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building in Miami, Florida, USA on July 6, 2023. He made no plea when he stood next to Trump last month
Nauta wore sunglasses as he entered the Miami courthouse on Thursday, accompanied by his Washington, D.C. attorney, Stanley Woodward.
Nauta sat on the same bench as the former president in court during Trump’s June arraignment in Miami. As a clear sign of their lasting bond, Nauta traveled with Trump to the hearing and flew with him to Bedminster, New Jersey, while also visiting the famous Miami Cuban Versailles Restaurant.
Nauta did not enter his own plea on June 13 because he had yet to find a Florida attorney who could represent him there.
He did not retain 34-year-old Florida attorney Sasha Dadan, the messenger reported. Her attorney lists the cases the former public defender has handled, ranging from drunk driving to child custody cases.
His appearance comes amid an intense investigation of the case and reports that Trump-related entities are paying his legal bills.
Nauta continues to work for Trump as the two battle federal criminal charges
Nauta flew to Bedminster, New Jersey, with Trump after Trump’s June 13 impeachment
He can be seen moving boxes of material in surveillance video reference in an FBI affidavit
Nauta is a close associate of the former president
An FBI affidavit used to justify the search describes how Nauta took 64 boxes from the storage room but only put 25 or 30 back.
Nauta was seen with three boxes on May 24. On May 30, after the aide talked to officers about the location of the boxes, he is seen taking 50 bank boxes from a storage room. On June 1, he can be seen carrying 11 boxes from the storage area, then moved between 25 and 30 boxes on June 1.
The affidavit does not identify Nauta by name, but the dates of the actions – as well as an FBI interview “in which the location of boxes was a major subject of questioning” – match those cited in the indictment.