Jack Smith just won’t stop.
Prosecutor Jack Smith has voiced sharp criticism against Walt Nauta, the valet of Donald Trump, for employing various tactics to prolong their classified documents case unnecessarily.
Smith accused Nauta of continuously changing strategies to delay the trial, which involves both Trump and Nauta, accused of concealing classified documents within Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Facing well over 35 federal charges, the former president is under scrutiny for his management of classified materials taken from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, following his departure from the White House at the beginning of 2021. Trump maintains his innocence against all charges.
Nauta, along with Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira, stands accused of maneuvering boxes of sensitive materials around Trump’s Florida residence to obstruct federal agents’ efforts to locate them. They are also alleged to have conspired to delete security footage demanded under a subpoena.
In the latest court filing, Smith lambasted Nauta for repeatedly altering the reasons for delaying the trial, citing everything from his attorney’s absence due to vacation to fictitious disclosure delays.
“At first, Nauta relied on his attorney’s vacation and trial schedule to stall proceedings. However, when this excuse fell through, he concocted a new pretext – claiming insufficiency in the Government’s discovery,” Smith penned.
He further noted that Nauta had been provided with the discovery documents along with supplementary materials to facilitate their examination.
“Nauta’s latest plea for delay is unfounded— the Government has extended technical assistance, indexing, and material beyond the requisites of Federal Rules or typical in criminal cases,” Smith emphasized.
Nauta’s attempt to create confusion and misrepresentation regarding the state of discovery is a recurring ploy, according to Smith.
Smith also lamented Nauta’s insistence on revealing classified documents as evidence only if prosecutors disclose the specific locations of documents found in the Mar-a-Lago storage room.
“Both assertions are flawed,” Smith contested, indicating that Nauta was informed about the boxes in the storage room months earlier. Furthermore, Nauta’s demand for precise locations of documents within the boxes is deemed recent and dubious.
In late April, FBI interview notes with a former White House employee surfaced, suggesting that Trump had promised Nauta a pardon if elected president.
According to the November 2022 FBI notes, “Nauta was assured that even if charged with lying to the FBI, the Former President Of The United States (FPOTUS) would pardon him in 2024.”
Smith expressed to the court his concern that Trump is intentionally delaying the trial until after the 2024 presidential election.
