Recently unsealed court filings have revealed that Donald Trump's valet, Walt Nauta, played a crucial role in the FBI's decision to search Mar-a-Lago in August 2022. Nauta, who is now a co-defendant in the classified documents case against Trump, told investigators that he randomly selected boxes of documents to return to the National Archives and that Trump himself directed that dozens more boxes at the resort would not be returned.
According to the newly unsealed transcript and unredacted FBI search warrant affidavit, Nauta testified to a grand jury two months before the search about boxes he took from Mar-a-Lago's storage room in January 2022. When asked if he would "just pick some off the top," Nauta replied, "yes." He also stated that Trump gave the direction not to return any more boxes to the National Archives.
Nauta's account was corroborated by a second witness, whose identity is not publicly known. Both witnesses said that Trump gave the direction not to return any more boxes, which has raised concerns about the handling of classified documents.
The newly unsealed filings also reveal that investigators spoke to dozens of witnesses and obtained information about the inner workings at Mar-a-Lago and Trump's White House that were not included in the initial charging documents against Trump and Nauta. This new information could be used at trial to build a case against Trump, who has been charged with criminal mishandling of national security records and attempting to obstruct justice.
Nauta's grand jury testimony could be particularly damaging to Trump's case, as it suggests that Trump was directly involved in the decision to withhold documents from the National Archives. Even if Nauta refuses to testify at trial, prosecutors could seek to use his grand jury statements about Trump in their presentation to a jury.
The criminal investigation into the mishandling of classified information began after the National Archives reviewed the initial 15 boxes retrieved from Mar-a-Lago and was alarmed by the sensitive government records found in them. Trump's attorneys responded to a subpoena for all documents bearing classified markings at the resort by handing over an envelope of materials in June 2022, but investigators believed that there were many more boxes of sensitive records at Mar-a-Lago.
The FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago was justified, in part, by the statements from Nauta and another witness, which suggested that boxes of records were haphazardly chosen to return to the National Archives and that Trump himself directed that dozens more boxes wouldn't be returned.
Nauta is now seeking to throw out evidence from his phone and email accounts, claiming that the FBI mischaracterized his statements to the grand jury in order to assert that he had lied in the investigation. He also claims that the subpoena was invalid and that he had no knowledge at the time that his movement of the boxes had any link to the subpoena's demands.
However, the special counsel's office has argued that Nauta's pushback to the affidavits is "implausible." Federal prosecutors have advised a judge that they will continue to make public updated versions of the Mar-a-Lago search documentation as they make more disclosures in the criminal case.
The newly unsealed testimony and filings provide further insight into the events leading up to the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago and the ongoing criminal investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents. As the case continues to unfold, it is clear that Nauta's testimony will play a significant role in the prosecution's case against Trump.
No comments:
Post a Comment