Last week, Trump pleaded not guilty to the 37 felony charges including 31 charges of counts of willful retention of national defense information and 6 counts of obstruction of justice.
It is the first time in American history that a former president has been indicted by the government he once led. U.S. District court judge Aileen Cannon issued an order earlier this week calling for Trump’s trial to open August 14 , but the prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith’s team asked Cannon to reschedule the trial for Dec. 11. They said the delay was necessary because the case involves classified information and will require Trump’s lawyers to obtain security clearances, a process that is underway.
About the case
Prosecutors told that the case isn’t complex by most measures arguing that,”it involves straightforward theories of liability, and does not present novel questions of fact or law.”However, the government lawyers said the legal procedures surrounding the use of classified information in a criminal case require some delay. “The case does involve classified information and will necessitate defense counsel obtaining the requisite security clearances,” Assistant Special Counsel David Harbach and other prosecutors wrote. Cannon previously ordered defense attorneys to begin the process of seeking security clearances by this week. However, as of Friday, Nauta still had no attorney formally representing him in the case.
What happened?
Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president for the 2024 election, was arraigned in federal court in Miami last week, during which he pleaded not guilty to charges he unlawfully kept national security documents when he left office and lied to officials who sought to recover them. Prosecutors proposed that Trump and Nauta submit any motions seeking to dismiss some or all charges in the case in about five weeks, by July 31. That could prove to be an aggressive timetable given some issues raised by the first federal criminal case against a former president. Cannon previously ordered defense attorneys to begin the process of seeking security clearances by this week.
Who is Nauta ?
Waltline Torre Nauta jr. is an American butler and body man to former US president Donald Trump. While a navy petty officer, he was Trump’s valet at the White House. After Trump’s term ended Nauta continued to work for him at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and residence. Nauta is accused of conspiring with Trump to obstruct the grand jury investigation into his alleged retention of highly classified military secrets. Nauta faces six felony counts. He did not enter a plea on Tuesday because he had not yet retained local counsel, and he was released on his own recognizance.However, as of Friday, Nauta still had no attorney formally representing him in the case.
