Donald Trump’s indictment woes mount as lawyers quit case, former valet charged
- The ex-US president says Walt Nauta, who worked at Mar-a-Lago after serving as his military valet, has also been indicted
- Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon has been initially assigned to oversee the case and could preside over the trial as well
Two lawyers defending Donald Trump on federal charges of illegally retaining classified documents quit the case on Friday and a former aide was charged as well in surprise developments one day after the former US president was indicted.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that his former military valet, Walt Nauta, had been charged in the case. Nauta went to work at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort after working in the Trump White House. It was unclear what his charges were.
Nauta’s lawyer, Stanley Woodward, declined to comment. A spokesperson for Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution, could not be reached immediately.
Nauta “served proudly with me in the White House, retired as Senior Chief, and then transitioned into private life as a personal aide”, Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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Donald Trump becomes first ex-US president to face criminal charges: lawyer
In an earlier post, Trump said he would be represented in the case by white collar defence lawyer Todd Blanche, who is representing him in a separate criminal case in Manhattan.