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Last Thursday's indictment made Donald Trump the only former president in United States history to face federal criminal charges, but he wasn't the only one the Department of Justice (DOJ) is prepared to go up against in its classified documents investigation.
Trump aide Walt Nauta has also been named in the federal indictment and faces six criminal counts that could be punishable by up to 90 years in prison. Nauta, a former valet in the Trump White House who become Trump's personal aide after he left office in 2021, has been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding documents, corruptly concealing records, scheming to conceal and making false statements.
According to the indictment, Trump directed Nauta to move boxes containing sensitive and classified material from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, which were the focus of the DOJ's investigation, in order to conceal them from Trump attorneys and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In addition, Trump has defended Nauta and maintained his own innocence in the case.
The DOJ's decision to include Nauta in the indictment stemming from special counsel Jack Smith's probe into Trump's mishandling of confidential records could serve as a warning for current Trump staffers as the former president continues on with his 2024 presidential campaign.
"Staffers could become spooked and hesitant," Republican strategist Ben Torpey told Newsweek on Monday. "Anytime charges are brought or rumors are swirling around not only a campaign, but any organization, staffers and employees will become hesitant and cautious."
Although the recent indictment could scare some Trump staffers into separating themselves from the campaign to protect their professional reputations, Torpey added that Trump is likely to remain popular with his base. "Only time will tell the real effect this will have on the campaign as a whole," he said.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek on Monday that none of the former president's staffers have left their positions since the federal charges were announced on Thursday.
Meanwhile, GOP political consultant Matt Klink was unsurprised by Cheung's comments, saying that the indictment was unlikely to hinder Trump from staffing his 2024 campaign.
"Any staffer working or planning to work for Donald Trump understands the challenging road he faces and, for many, that will serve as a motivation," Klink told Newsweek on Monday. "They choose to work for him because they are 'true believers' in Donald Trump and his vision for America."
Klink said if anything, the federal charges—which come two months after criminal charges were announced in Manhattan against Trump for allegedly violating campaign finance laws in 2016—will reinforce the notion that the DOJ is politically motivated against the former president and that the federal government has been unfairly targeting Trump even before he won the 2016 election.
Trump himself has echoed those beliefs, telling supporters in Georgia on Saturday that the indictment from "the Biden administration's weaponized department of injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country."
The former president has also claimed that the DOJ is "trying to destroy [Nauta's] life" by "hoping that he will say bad things about 'Trump.'"
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more