Updated Jun 9, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Trump aide Walt Nauta indicted in classified documents probe

Walt Nauta, an aide to former President Trump, follows Trump as they board an airplane at Palm Beach International Airport in March. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Walt Nauta, an aide to former President Trump, has been indicted in the investigation into his handling of classified documents, according to the 49-page indictment unsealed on Friday.

Driving the news: Nauta worked in the Trump White House and at Mar-a-Lago, where one of his jobs was to transport cardboard boxes with papers of the former president, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that Trump directed Nauta to move boxes of documents to conceal them from one of the former president's lawyers.
On another occasion, Nauta texted another employee of Trump's images of a box's spilled contents.
Nauta also made false statements in an interview with investigators about his knowledge of the boxes and their location within Mar-a-Lago, per the indictment.

Zoom in: Nauta is named in six of the counts in the indictment: conspiracy to obstruct justice; withholding a document or record; corruptly concealing a document or record; concealing a document in a federal investigation; scheme to conceal; and false statements and representations.

State of play: Trump wrote a Truth Social post on Friday that he "just learned" that the DOJ is indicting Nauta. His post came less than 24 hours after Trump announced that he, too, would face charges stemming from the investigation.

A spokesperson for special counsel Jack Smith’s office did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Friday.
Trump said on Truth Social Thursday night that he was summoned to appear at the federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday.

Editor's note: This story was updated with new information.

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Trump aide Walt Nauta indicted in classified documents probe

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