Waltine “Walt” Nauta, widely known for his role as Donald Trump’s personal valet, is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday over his role in the federal classified documents case.
Nauta, 40, arrived in the former president’s orbit by way of a military assignment.
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Trump’s “body man”, as he would become known, was raised as one of six siblings in the village of Agat, Guam, which has a population of about 4,515. His aunt Elly Nauta told the Washington Post in March that he was always a “good boy” and had enlisted in the Navy as a cook in 2001 “to see the world”.
After rising to the rank of culinary specialist, Nauta was assigned to presidential food service in 2012, which prepares meals for the president and first family, as well as catering dinners for visiting heads of state.
Nauta worked in a small White House passageway connecting the West Wing to a private dining room. After Trump was elected president, Nauta was assigned to Trump’s military valet. It fell to him to answer the presidential call button, often to serve Diet Cokes, sometimes Big Macs.
“Everyone realized Walt is the one who Trump knows and feels comfortable with. So let’s just give Trump what he wants, which is familiarity,” a former official told the Post.
But he was not regarded as a political operator, doing no more or less than what was required of him. When Trump’s term ended in January 2021, Nauta followed the...
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