Walt Nauta appearance in Miami federal court postponed, flight to South Florida canceled

MIAMI — Tuesday morning's arraignment for Waltine "Walt" Nauta, the aide charged alongside former President Donald Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents, was postponed and rescheduled for July 6.

Nauta was expected to appear at 9:45 a.m. at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building in downtown Miami Tuesday, but only his attorney, Stan Woodward, stood before Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres. Woodward blamed poor weather and a canceled flight for Nauta's absence, telling the judge that Nauta spent more than eight hours at the airport in Newark, New Jersey, before his flight to Miami was canceled Monday.

The attorney said Nauta was unable to book a new flight in time for his court appearance. Woodward also said Nauta has not yet retained a Florida-based attorney as is required by state law, and, as such, could not enter a plea. Woodard said Nauta does not plan to attend the July 6 arraignment and will waive his appearance once he has retained a Florida attorney to do so.

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Nauta is Trump's co-defendant in the classified documents case against the former president and faces six counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements to investigators. Prosecutors say the Trump aide played a key role in concealing classified documents, including some of the nation's most guarded military and intelligence secrets, as the investigation into Trump's possession of the files deepened and government archivists sought their return.

Nauta became Trump's executive assistant in August 2021. By then, prosecutors say he and other Trump employees had moved boxes and materials from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's club and home in Palm Beach, at the former president's instruction.

Nauta appeared in court beside Trump on June 13 at the former president's arraignment but did not enter a plea due to his lack of local counsel. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 counts against him. Both were indicted on June 8.

Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta has federal court appearance postponed