Trump’s personal assistant pleads not guilty in classified documents case

Personal Assistant to former US President Donald Trump, Waltine "Walt" Nauta, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges of mishandling classified government documents.

The 40-year-old Nauta, a former member of the US Navy from Guam, presented his defense during a brief session in a Miami courtroom.

His defense attorney, Stanley Woodward, stated that his client "pleads not guilty to all charges."

When asked by Judge Edwin Torres if he understood the reason for appearing before the court, Nauta replied, "Yes, Your Honor."

Trump, who is currently leading the race for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential elections, pleaded not guilty last month to dozens of criminal charges related to mishandling certain highly classified government documents and planning their concealment.

Nauta, who is considered an accomplice in the conspiracy, faces six charges for assisting Trump in hiding documents at the former president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

According to the indictment, Trump took hundreds of government documents in boxes to Mar-a-Lago upon leaving the White House in January 2021.

Trump left these files, which included records from the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as national security documents, unprotected in his Mar-a-Lago residence, which often hosts major social events, according to the indictment.

The documents were hidden in various locations within the estate, including a dance hall, a restroom, Trump's bedroom, and a storage room.

Nauta is accused of conspiring with the former president to hide the documents and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted.

Trump himself faces 31 charges of "willful retention of defense information" related to specific documents. Each conviction on any of these charges carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison.

Additionally, the 77-year-old Trump faces other charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and obstruction of document or record, which is also a charge carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as well as making false statements.

Trump, who has been impeached twice by the House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate on charges of misconduct during his tenure, and recently been found liable in a civil court for sexual harassment, has pledged to continue his pursuit of the presidency regardless of the outcome of the document case.

Trump is facing criminal charges or investigations in four jurisdictions, including Washington, Florida, Georgia, and New York, and may be prosecuted in multiple cases during his election campaign.




AFP