The individual from Mar-a-Lago who informed federal prosecutors that Donald Trump ordered boxes of documents to be moved from a storage room to his private residence has been identified: Walt Nauta, a 43-year-old Navy veteran who worked as a White House valet in Trump’s Oval Office suite and followed the one-term Trump to Mar-a-Lago.
The Washington Post confirmed earlier reporting by the New York Times on the individual’s identity. The Post reports that while Nauta has been answering the investigators’ questions about the documents and has been interviewed, he is not formally cooperating with prosecutors.
Nauta told investigators that he moved boxes of documents from a storage room in the basement to Trump’s personal residence at the Florida geriatric supper club and Purgatory waiting room at Trump’s direction after Trump and his lawyers received a subpoena for any remaining government documents he had on site. Security camera footage confirms Nauta’s account. Later, Trump attorney Evan Corcoran would tell National Archives and Justice Department officials that they would find all the documents in the basement storage room, and there was no reason to check other areas of the property; it’s not known yet if he knew Nauta moved boxes of documents when he made that statement.