This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/65862112

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Who is Walt Nauta, the Trump aide charged in classified documents case? Who is Walt Nauta, the Trump aide charged in classified documents case?
(3 days later)
Walt Nauta, seen here helping Mr Trump, served as an aide to the former president.Walt Nauta, seen here helping Mr Trump, served as an aide to the former president.
An aide to ex-President Donald Trump has been charged alongside him over the alleged mishandling of national security documents. An aide to ex-President Donald Trump has been charged alongside him with alleged mishandling of national security documents.
Walt Nauta, a US Navy veteran, was a White House military valet to Mr Trump and joined him as an assistant at his Florida mansion after he left office. Walt Nauta, a US Navy veteran, was a White House military valet to Mr Trump and joined him as an assistant at his Florida estate after he left office.
Mr Trump said on social media that Mr Nauta was a "wonderful man". Mr Trump said on social media that Mr Nauta, 40, was a "wonderful man" being indicted by government "Thugs".
Mr Nauta faces six charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding records,concealing documents and making false statements. Mr Nauta faces six criminal counts punishable by up to 90 years in prison.
On his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday, the former president defend Mr Nauta and accused officials at the US Department of Justice of "trying to destroy" the aide's life. He is charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding records, concealing documents, scheming to conceal facts from investigators and making false or misleading statements.
Mr Nauta "served proudly with me in the White House, retired as Senior Chief, and then transitioned into private life as a personal aide", Mr Trump wrote. According to the indictment, Mr Trump directed his aide to move boxes that were a focus of the investigation from a storage room at the Mar-a-Lago resort. He was allegedly told to conceal them from Mr Trump's attorney and the FBI.
According to the indictment, Mr Trump directed his aide to move boxes that were a focus of the investigation from a storage room and to conceal them from Trump's attorney, the FBI and the grand jury. Prosecutors have said Mr Nauta can be seen on surveillance video removing the boxes from the storage room ahead of an imminent search of the Palm Beach property, and later moving some of them back - one of at least five times he moved boxes in and out of the room.
Mr Nauta, whose first name is Waltine, served as President Trump's military aide, a role similar to a personal valet and sometimes referred to as a "body-man". He has been described as a constant presence in the Trump White House. They further allege that, in a May 2022 interview with the FBI, Mr Nauta lied that he did not know how the boxes had arrived on site, where they were being stored or whether Mr Trump had intentionally kept any.
Born in Agat, Guam, a US territory, Mr Nauta enlisted in the US Navy in 2001, according to the Washington Post. Navy records show he ascended through the ranks to become a Senior Chief Culinary Specialist, in 2021. On his Truth Social platform on Friday, the former president defended Mr Nauta and accused officials at the US Department of Justice of "trying to destroy his life" and "hoping that he will say bad things about 'Trump'".
According to the indictment, Mr Nauta became an executive assistant to Donald Trump in August 2021. Unlike other aides who sought to remain in Washington DC after Mr Trump lost the 2020 election, Mr Nauta relocated to Florida. Born in Agat, in the US territory of Guam, Waltine Torre Nauta enlisted in the US Navy in 2001.
He continued to serve there as an aide to the former president at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach. Navy records show he ascended through the ranks to become a Senior Chief Culinary Specialist, in 2021.
Mr Nauta's proximity to Mr Trump placed him in the crosshairs of the justice department probe into documents with classification markings that the ex-president took with him to Florida after leaving the White House. By then, he had been serving in the military-staffed cafeteria for the Trump White House.
In an exclusive interview with the Washington Post before the Mr Nauta was charged, family members in Guam described Mr Nauta as a "good boy" who moved to the United States "to enjoy his life, not to cause problems". The president later elevated him to a role as his military aide, a position similar to a personal valet and sometimes referred to as a "body-man".
Pauline Torre, his mother, said that fact that her son was selected to serve the president "says it all". Mr Nauta retired from the Navy when Mr Trump left the White House. According to the indictment, he became an executive assistant to Mr Trump in August 2021.
But his aunt said he did everything "at the direction of the former president." Unlike other aides, who sought to remain in Washington DC after Mr Trump lost the 2020 election, Mr Nauta relocated to Florida and continued to serve as an aide to the former president at Mar-a-Lago.
"All he was instructed was to put the boxes where they were supposed to go," Elly Nauta, his aunt, told the Post. He has been described as a low-key but constant presence in the Trump White House, and a trusted, well-liked aide in Mr Trump's post-presidential orbit.
The New York Times reported that Mr Nauta is viewed as a Trump loyalist and does not appear to be playing a "side game" in exchange for prosecutorial leniency.
When the BBC contacted some of Mr Nauta's relatives in Guam about the charges, they seemed stunned by the news.
Reached by social media on Monday, his cousin, Lani Nauta, said the family had only just regained electricity after the typhoon that struck the island two weeks ago.
She ended the conversation to call other members of her family and inform them of the indictment.
In an interview with the Washington Post before Mr Nauta was charged, relatives in Guam described him as a "good boy" who moved to the United States "to enjoy his life, not to cause problems".
Pauline Torre, his mother, said the fact that her son had been selected to serve the president "says it all".
But his aunt said he did everything "at the direction of the former president".
"All he was instructed was to put the boxes where they were supposed to go," Elly Nauta told the Post.
Over the weekend, Mr Nauta travelled with his boss during a trip to Georgia and North Carolina. Both men will appear in court on Tuesday to hear the charges against them.
Related TopicsRelated Topics
Donald Trump JrDonald Trump Jr
Indictments of Donald TrumpIndictments of Donald Trump
Donald TrumpDonald Trump