Walt Nauta | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nauta in 2025 | |
| Director ofWhite House Oval Office Operations | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Richard Ruffner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Waltine Torre Nauta Jr.[1] 1982 or 1983 (age 42–43)[2] |
| Occupation | Valet andbody man |
| Military career | |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 2001–21 |
| Rank | Senior Chief Petty Officer |
Waltine Torre Nauta Jr.[1] (born 1982 or 1983)[2] is an American aide to U.S. presidentDonald Trump.
While apetty officer in theU.S. Navy, Nauta was Trump'svalet at theWhite House. After Trump's term ended, Nauta continued to work for him at Trump'sMar-a-Lago club and residence.
In June 2023, Trump and Nauta were indicted by afederal grand jury in acriminal case over violations of the Espionage Act and related offenses. Nauta was charged with six counts offederal crimes and pleadednot guilty.[3] On July 27, two new counts of obstruction were brought against Nauta.[4]
The original six charges against Nauta relate to allegations that he, acting at Trump's direction, moved boxes that included illegally retainedclassified documents andnational defense-related documents to Trump's residence, and then lied about it to federal investigators. He was indicted forconspiracy toobstruct justice,withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record,corruptly concealing a document in a federal investigation,scheme to conceal, andmaking false statements and representations.
In February 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit dismissed the case against Nauta upon the federal prosecutor's request.[5]
Nauta was born inHågat,Guam, and grew up there with five siblings.[6][7] He graduated fromSouthern High School in nearbySånta Rita-Sumai.[2][8]
Nauta enlisted in theU.S. Navy in July 2001.[2] He was a cook, with therating ofculinary specialist.[1] Among his Navy postings were stints with astrike fighter squadron in California, and at a submarine base in Georgia.[9] In 2012, he was assigned to thePresidential Food Service, which is run by the U.S. Navy and manages the White House Mess as part of theWhite House Military Office.[1][10]
During thepresidency of Donald Trump, Nauta became a personal valet to the president.[11] He was responsible for responding to thepresidential call button, including when the president requestedDiet Cokes, which Nauta would bring to Trump on a silver platter.[12][9] Nauta was promoted tosenior chief petty officer in September 2020.[11]
Nauta was accused of sexual harassment andrevenge porn by several women in spring 2021, which led to him being reassigned and his security credentials being docked. This was several weeks before he left the Navy and became a personal employee of Trump.[13]
Nauta's service in the Navy ended in September 2021.[11]
When Trump's term of office ended in January 2021, Nauta accompanied him toMar-a-Lago, where he worked as Trump'sbutler andbody man.[1][14] He frequently traveled with Trump to public appearances and campaign events.[1] By August 2021, Nauta was on the payroll of Trump'spolitical action committee,Save America.[1] He was also paid byTrump's 2024 presidential campaign beginning in November 2022.[1]
Nauta was called as a witness in theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government documents; the investigation began in 2022.[2] Investigators with theindependent special counsel investigation led byJack Smith came to doubt Nauta's account of his activities, and beginning in fall 2022 considered whether to charge him with crimes.[15][16] Nauta declined to cooperate with prosecutors, and on May 24, 2023, the special counsel formally notified Nauta that he was atarget of the investigation.[16][17]
On June 8, 2023, Nauta was co-indicted with Trump by afederal grand jury in theU.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, based in Miami. Nauta was indicted on six counts:conspiracy toobstruct justice,withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record,corruptly concealing a document in a federal investigation,scheme to conceal, andmaking false statements and representations.[18][19][20]
According to the indictment, in the waning days of Trump's term in office, both Trump and Nauta packed items from the White House to ship to Mar-a-Lago.[1] The indictment also alleged that, after a federal grand jury issued asubpoena in May 2022 requiring the return of the government documents, Nauta assisted Trump in concealing documents from the grand jury, theFBI, and Trump's own lawyers.[10][21] On July 27, a superseding indictment[22] was filed with two new counts of obstruction against Nauta, bringing the total counts against Nauta to eight.[4]
The federal magistrate judge twice postponed Nauta's arraignment soStanley Woodward—Nauta's Washington, D.C. lawyer, whose fees were paid by Trump'sSave Americapolitical action committee—could find local counsel admitted to practice in the Southern District of Florida with whom to work, as required by court rules. (Woodward was not a member of the local court bar, and thus was appearingpro hac vice.)[23][24][25][26][27]
Following extensive pre-trial motions; in July 2024, Judge Cannon held that the Justice Department appointed special counsel Jack Smith illegally. Smith ended the criminal case against Trump after his November presidential election win but appealed the dismissal of Nauta and De Oliveira. On February 11, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit dismissed the case upon the federal prosecutor's request.[28][5]
Nauta continued working with Donald Trump during his second term in office. In March 2025, Trump nominated Nauta to serve on the board of visitors for theU.S. Naval Academy.[29]
Media related toWalt Nauta at Wikimedia Commons