Donald Trump’s aide, Walt Nauta, to face arraignment in third appearance.

Former Trump Aide Walt Nauta Faces Third Arraignment

Walt Nauta, a longtime aide and body man for former President Donald Trump, is set to appear for his third arraignment on Thursday. This comes after two delays as he worked to secure legal counsel.

Nauta, 40, had postponed his arraignment twice in order to find local representation in Florida, where the indictments for both him and Trump were issued in mid-June. Trump had already pleaded not guilty in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into classified documents two weeks prior to Nauta’s initial appearance.

Charges and Deadline

Nauta is facing six counts related to conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements. Thursday’s arraignment is considered the “drop dead” deadline, as warned by a magistrate judge in Miami. Nauta’s attorney, Stan Woodward, informed the judge last week that Nauta had not yet secured local counsel and was also facing travel issues preventing him from reaching Florida.

“He takes the charges very seriously,” Woodward said.

Nauta has reportedly hired Republican criminal defense attorney Sasha Dadan, 34, who is based in Fort Pierce, Florida, where the trial is scheduled to take place. However, as of 10 a.m. Thursday, court records do not list Dadan as Nauta’s counsel. The Washington Examiner has reached out to Dadan for confirmation.

Allegations and Affidavit

Prosecutors allege that Nauta moved boxes containing classified documents around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, which was raided by the FBI in August 2022. During the raid, hundreds of documents, some marked “top secret” or “confidential,” were discovered. It was believed that all the documents had been returned to the federal government.

In a recently released affidavit with less redaction, Nauta was identified as “Witness 5” and was allegedly captured on surveillance footage handling boxes similar to those containing classified documents. He was seen moving them from the storage room to an undisclosed location.

Nauta served in the White House during the Trump administration and held the position of senior chief culinary specialist, according to Navy records. He enlisted in the Navy in 2001 and later became Trump’s valet, or “body man.”

After Trump’s departure from the White House in January 2021, Nauta left the Navy and continued working for the former president. In August 2021, he became Trump’s executive assistant and personal aide, as stated in the federal indictment.

Click here to read more from The Washington Examiner.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases