Former Guam resident and Navy veteran Waltine “Walt” Nauta, who was a co-defendant in President Donald Trump’s now dismissed classified documents case, has been appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors. Nauta, a former Hågat resident and a graduate of Southern High School, was a White House valet to Trump while a petty officer in the U.S. Navy. After Trump’s first term ended, Nauta continued to work for him at his Mar-a-Lago club and residence in Florida. Days after Trump was sworn into office for a second term in January, the Justice Department abandoned all criminal proceedings against Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira. The case against Trump was dismissed in July. Nauta and De Oliveira were charged with conspiring with Trump to obstruct an FBI investigation into the hoarding of classified documents that Trump took with him when he left the White House after his first term. They were indicted alongside Trump for allegedly violating the Espionage Act and related offenses linked to classified documents. Trump on Saturday announced his appointment of Nauta, along with others, in a post on Truth Social.
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“Our GREAT United States Naval Academy needs a new Board of Visitors. I am pleased to announce that an incredible group of Patriots will serve on the Board— Walt Nauta, Sean Spicer, ‘Doc Ronnie’ Jackson, and Derek Van Orden. Together they will ensure continued Greatness for the Academy!” the president wrote on March 8. The Board of Visitors oversees student life and institutional policies at the U.S. Naval Academy. This appointment comes weeks after Trump dismissed in February the Boards of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard academies, citing the boards had been “infiltrated” by “woke ideology.” Nauta has kept a low profile since the charges surfaced, but did meet with the Guam delegation during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July. Former Gov. Felix P. Camacho, the head of the delegation, said at the time that the delegation “all thanked him for wanting to meet with the Guam delegation.” “It’s good to know we have this gentleman from Hågat who is so close to President Trump,” Camacho added. Haidee Eugenio Gilbert is managing editor for the Pacific Daily News. You can reach her at . Haidee Eugenio Gilbert is managing editor for the Pacific Daily News. You can reach her at .
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