Meet Waltine Nauta, Trump's 'Diet Coke valet' who's now his co-defendant on federal charges
One of Trump's aides was named as a co-defendant in Trump's recent federal indictment.
Waltine Nauta, Trump's body man who brought him Diet Coke, has been charged with six counts.
Prosecutors allege that Trump directed Nauta "to move boxes of documents."
Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on federal charges in connection to the Justice Department's investigation into his handling of classified documents, and an unsealed indictment reveals he has a codefendant in the case — his aide, Waltine Nauta.
Nauta has been charged with six counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, a document or record, and false statements and representations.
Prosecutors allege that Nauta helped pack Trump's boxes before he left the White House and repeatedly moved them around Mar-a-Lago at Trump's requests. They allege that Trump directed Nauta "to move boxes of documents to conceal them from Trump's attorney, the FBI, and the grand jury."
They also allege that Trump and Nauta "hid, concealed, and covered up from the FBI Trump's continued possession of documents with classification margins at the Mar-a-Lago Club."
Trump and Nauta were booked and taken into custody on Tuesday before attending their arraignments.
Nauta did not enter a plea on Tuesday. The New York Times reported that he requested an extension on the arraignment and that he needs local counsel in the case to sponsor him.
Trump pleaded not guilty in the case on Tuesday.
Nauta, a Navy veteran, is a longtime personal aide of Trump's and worked as a White House valet, a role that includes being a personal assistant, messenger, and errand runner for the president.
When Trump was in the White House, Nauta's job was to fetch Diet Cokes for the president whenever he needed one in the Oval Office.
Nauta was one of six siblings and grew up in Guam, a US island territory in the Western Pacific, before enlisting in the Navy in 2001, The Washington Post reported.
He worked in the White House mess hall before becoming a valet, The Post reported.
The Post reported that Nauta regularly traveled with Trump between his Bedminster, New Jersey home, Mar-a-Lago in Florida, and the White House.
Nauta stayed on as one of Trump's aides after he left the presidency and has even been photographed on Trump's 2024 presidential campaign trail.
The New York Times reported last year that Nauta was caught on security camera moving boxes from storage rooms at Mar-a-Lago before and after the Justice Department subpoenaed Trump.
At the time, The Times cited three people familiar with the matter who said Nauta was seen moving boxes on security cameras.
FBI agents questioned Nauta on the movement of boxes inside Mar-a-Lago weeks before searching the property in August 2022, but prosecutors allege that Nauta lied by saying he didn't know about boxes being moved.
When asked if he knew where on the property the boxes had been stored, prosecutors allege that Nauta said, "I wish, I wish I could tell you. I don't know. I don't — I honestly just don't know."
Nauta's attorney declined to comment to Insider.
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