The recent indictment of a close aide to former President Donald Trump has raised questions about the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) politically motivated investigation into classified documents.
The exact charges were not immediately clear, however, two sources have confirmed that Walt Nauta, who was a personal aide and valet in the White House and later at Mar-a-Lago, is the second person to be indicted in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation.
Surveillance video reportedly captured Nauta moving boxes of sensitive material from a storage area when the government sought information about those documents.
He has since stopped speaking with investigators. It is unknown if other current or former Trump aides or associates could face charges related to this case.
Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch reviewed the unsealed indictment against Trump and delivered some bad news for Democrats:
“Under the Constitution, federal law, and precedent, none of the documents are currently ‘classified’ or ‘national defense information’ that restricts Trump’s handling of them. They are ALL his personal records and, frankly, should be returned to him. If justice prevails, this indictment won’t survive scrutiny by honest, constitutionalist judges and will be thrown out.”
I've carefully reviewed the indictment of Trump by his political opponents at the Biden Justice Department. (.@JudicialWatch has nearly 30 years of experience litigating federal and presidential records issues, including the famous "Clinton sock drawer" case.) The document…
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) June 9, 2023
Trump faces up to 236 years in prison between 34 counts from New York City District Attorney Cy Vance Jr., and 37 counts from Joe Biden’s DOJ.
Many are concerned about whether these indictments are justifiable under existing laws.
The answer remains unclear as even Tom Fitton noted how this document “dishonestly ignores” multiple regulations set forth by both parties during different administrations prior to Biden’s presidency.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.
