Walt Nauta, aide to former president Donald Trump, disembarks Trump’s airplane, known as Trump Force One, in Bedminster, New Jersey, following a court appearance at Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami, June 13, 2023.
Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Walt Nauta, former President Donald Trump‘s valet and co-defendant in the classified documents case, is set to appear before a federal judge Thursday to enter a plea on six criminal charges.
Nauta’s arraignment in U.S. District Court in Miami comes more than three weeks after Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal counts related to his alleged efforts to hold onto top secret documents after leaving the White House in 2021.
The Navy veteran and aide to the former president appeared at that initial June 13 court hearing, but he was not arraigned because he did not have a local Florida lawyer there to represent him. Nauta’s arraignment was delayed until June 27, but that was also postponed because his flight to Miami was canceled.
The latest attempt to arraign Nauta is set for Thursday at 11 a.m. ET. In the days before the hearing, there was no indication on the criminal docket that Nauta had retained local counsel.
About an hour before the arraignment, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNBC that Nauta would be represented by Sasha Dadan, a criminal defense attorney in south Florida.
Dadan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Stanley Woodward, a lawyer for Nauta who is based in Washington, D.C., declined CNBC’s request for comment before the hearing.
The indictment from special counsel Jack Smith accuses Nauta of working with Trump to move and hide boxes containing hundreds of classified documents that were stored at the former president’s Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving office.
Nauta is charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding and corruptly concealing documents, and making false representations. The most serious charges against Nauta carry 20-year maximum prison terms.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.