There’s no denying that Donald Trump is thoroughly obsessed with the legal peril mounting against him in the Manhattan hush-money case, naturally so, following his historical indictment and arraignment on a staggering 34 felony criminal charges, all related to multiple hush-money payments made in connection to his 2016 presidential campaign.
But according to new reporting from the New York Times, the scandal-ridden former president would be wise not to put his guard down with regard to the ongoing Justice Department Special Counsel investigation against him, as the publication now reports that Garland-appointed DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith has formally interviewed a man that’s been described as Donald Trump’s “most loyal aide,” as Smith prepares to bring a brutal obstruction of justice case against the disgraced, corrupt ex-president.
According to the bombshell new Times report, devout, longtime Trump aide Walt Nauta willingly agreed to an interview with Special Counsel Smith, after top-secret, classified documents and materials were discovered at the ex-president’s Mar-a-Lago golf resort turned post-White House personal residence. Among the discovered materials was said to be a classified, sensitive map.
“Investigators have compiled extensive witness testimony, texts and emails from a number of key witnesses. They have constructed a timeline of Mr. Trump’s actions and movements and interviewed dozens of people, including close advisers to Mr. Trump as well as staff members at Mar-a-Lago and former administration officials who had knowledge of how he handled documents in different settings,” the New York Times reports. “They have heard from witnesses who described Mr. Trump being urged repeatedly in 2021 by aides and advisers to return material to the National Archives, and then how he handled the grand jury investigation by the Justice Department that began early last year and resulted in a subpoena for any remaining classified material in Mr. Trump’s possession.”
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The newspaper goes on to confirm that Special Counsel Smith and his office are believed to have interviewed every individual with knowledge of the classified materials.
The original Mar-a-Lago search warrant made mention of an alleged violation of the Espionage Act on Donald Trump’s part, in relation to the stolen government documents, however, it remains unclear if Smith is considering charging the ex-president with this violation.
According to the Times report, matters are made worse still, due to the fact that Trump may very likely have shown off the sensitive, classified map to aides, visitors, and a journalist.
“The question of whether Mr. Trump was displaying sensitive material in his possession after he lost the presidency and left office is crucial as investigators try to reconstruct what Mr. Trump was doing with boxes of documents that went with him to his Florida residence and private club, Mar-a-Lago,” NYT reports.
Prior reporting has confirmed that Nauta was personally seen moving the boxes of classified government materials at the Mar-a-Lago compound, both before and after the US Department of Justice issued a formal subpoena for their return.
Read the full report from the New York Times here.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
