In May, Special Counsel Jack Smith issued a subpoena for the surveillance footage showing Walt Nauta, a former military valet who went to work at Mar-a-Lago after working in the Trump White House, moving boxes in the wake of Trump receiving the subpoena.
Nauta was charged alongside Trump in the indictment returned Thursday. He previously told prosecutors he was ordered to move the boxes — by the former President.
For months, prosecutors have been building a case alleging that Trump deliberately withheld sensitive documents related to U.S. intelligence and defense plans, even after prosecutors demanded the return of all such documents last year.
Nauta has long been a focus of that investigation after he was seen on surveillance footage moving boxes from a storage room before and after investigators issued a May subpoena seeking the return of all government documents in Trump’s possession, The Wall Street Journal reported. Natua told investigators that he did so at Trump’s request.
Investigators spoke with Nauta at least twice and asked him to submit to further questioning, in part to clarify what prosecutors believed to be contradictory statements. He refused further questioning, the Journal reported, out of concerns about whether prosecutors are considering charges against him.
Trump was just indicted and will be facing seven charges. Anyone that ties themselves to the toxic former President will eventually have to pay for that. Just ask Michael Cohen. Ask Nauta, too.
