Former President Donald Trump's personal aide, Walt Nauta, pleads not guilty in the classified documents case where he is accused of helping the Republican businessman hide sensitive materials from federal agents.
The development comes after two failed arraignments that forced a delay of the case that targets the former president's handling of documents he took from the White House. Nauta is considered to be a co-defendant alongside Trump.
Walt Nauta Pleads Not Guilty
Last month, the former president pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts after federal agents recovered more than 100 classified documents from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Stanley Woodward, Nauta's attorney, was the one who entered the plea on behalf of his client, waived the reading of the complaint while, and requested a jury trial.
During the hearing, US Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres asked Nauta whether or not the defendant had already read the charges against him and if he could consult a lawyer. He answered with three words, "Yes, your honor," as per NBC News.
The arraignment, which was delayed twice for various reasons, only lasted about five minutes. It was unknown ahead of the Thursday hearing whether Nauta, a military valet in Trump's White House, had found local counsel. But by the time the former Trump aide appeared on Thursday, he was able to hire Sasha Dadan, a Florida-based attorney.
Judge Torres postponed Nauta's earlier arraignment because the defendant did not yet have a permanent Florida attorney for his first hearing. The former Trump aide missed the second hearing because bad weather affected his flight.
Nauta was found to have accompanied Trump late last week on a political appearance in Philadelphia, where they were seen together ordering at a famous city institution. The Republican businessman also met with several lawyers who were based in Florida as he was considering whom to hire to represent him in the case, according to CNN.
Classified Documents Case
Some of the Florida-based lawyers who were considered to represent Trump in the case have asked for premium payments because of the high-profile nature of the situation. This was also due to the former president's difficult history with lawyers.
In a statement, Timothy Parlatore, who represented Trump as his properties were searched for more classified records late last year, said that he was advising people to consider taking on the matter seriously, calling it an interesting case and an important issue.
The situation also affects individual prosecutors involved in the case, as they face substantial harassment and threats online and elsewhere. Two officials added that federal agencies had not observed a general increase in threats against law enforcement in the weeks since the former president was indicted in South Florida.
The FBI has called threats against law enforcement "reprehensible and dangerous," adding that it was already working closely with other agencies to assess and respond to the threats. Political extremism experts added that organized threats of violence against government institutions have generally slowed down since the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot, said the Washington Post.
