Crime

Why Trump Valet Walt Nauta Won’t Roll on Ex-President in Secret Documents Case

This week, Trump’s attorneys unveiled their legal strategy — delay at any cost — intended to make sure that the trial in what should be an open-and-shut Mar-a-Lago documents case doesn’t happen until after the 2024 election.

Published

3 years ago

July 20, 2023

Oakland Post

Walt Nauta

By Emil Guillermo

Serial indictment collector Donald Trump, the disgraced, twice impeached 45th president has an unusual criminal defense: Run for president!

I doubt if any of us can rely on the presidential defense if we should have the misfortune of facing a felony, but this is what the justice system looks like for the privileged.

In the autocratic mind of Trump, running for president is the grand excuse. How can a millionaire and his lawyers prepare for trial? And so in lieu of a defense, in the Trumpian fantasy, the indicted one just needs to win the election. Then he sets up a new Justice Department and the case is dropped.

This is how an autocrat thinks in order to assure he stays above the law. It’s Trump’s prime motivator: White House or the Big House?

When literally the emperor has no defense, all delays help, which is why Waltine “Walt” Nauta, the Guam native and Trump co-defendant should be on your radar.

In this tale of the U.S. vs. Trump and Nauta, Nauta has the opportunity to be a hero. He is the former Navy enlisted man who worked his way up the White House mess to become a valet to the commander in chief. From AAPI in the White House, Nauta retired from the Navy and makes a reported $135,000 as Trump’s personal valet and body man.

He knows things. He could flip on Trump.

But he doesn’t. With Nauta, if Trump says delay, Nauta drags his feet and says ‘how long, Boss?’

Witness last week when Nauta showed up to enter a plea a month after Trump. Why? Because relying on his attorney paid for by a Trump Political Action Committee (PAC), Nauta didn’t have a Florida attorney in order to appear in court. Left hung out to dry? Well, Nauta is the help.

So, it was no surprise when Nauta showed up this time with his Trump lawyer, and a former public defender who does divorces and has no national security experience.

It just all adds to the delay.

THE COLONIAL MINDSET

The case involving the mishandling of boxes of classified top-secret documents and plotting with his former boss to hide them at Mar-a-Lago is so serious that both men could be sent to prison for a long, long time.

I just have a feeling when all is said and done, Nauta will be serving more time for this than his boss ever will.

And that would be criminal.

Maybe I feel for Nauta because he looks like me, only without hair.

Or maybe it’s because I’ve lived in 10 different cities and know what it’s like to pack and move boxes. Without the heavy weight of top-secret documents.

But am I the only one asking, “Who is Nauta’s body man?” By that, I mean, who really cares about Walt Nauta?

That he’s Guamanian may be all you really need to know. If you know the history of Guam and the indigenous Chamorro people, this is what always happens. It explains my fear that Walt Nauta is going to get the worst of it.

Unless he wises up. But in many ways, maybe he can’t help it.

You’re from Guam? Losing is in your blood.

GUAM, THE FOREVER COLONY

It’s baked in the system when you’re from Guam, where a colonial mentality has lingered since the 16^th century

Spanish rule began when Magellan stumbled onto Guam in 1521. It was just the beginning of bad luck for the explorer who was killed later in the Philippines.

In 1898, the U.S. got Guam after the Spanish American War, almost as an afterthought. But that’s how the island is connected to our nation.

Guam’s role is to exist as the forever American colony, its people official second-class citizens of a great democracy.

As such, Guamanians have a Congressional representative who gets to sit in the People’s House but doesn’t get to vote. On anything. He’s window dressing. In fact, no Guamanian has a vote for president.

Maybe that’s why Donald Trump loves Nauta so much. He’s in that personal safe zone. Undocumented/documented? Nauta’s got all the documents he can get, and he’s still less than whole.

It’s a status that makes him constantly forced to prove his worthiness.

The way out of the colonial mindset has been to trade it for a military mindset, and Guamanians have enlisted in the Navy in great numbers.

Nauta enlisted as a teenager. At age 40, Nauta’s the modern Guamanian success story.

And he’s done it all by constantly proving his worthiness and showing that selfless loyalty to his boss, the former commander in chief.

HOUSE NEGRO VS. FIELD NEGRO

I’m reading Oakland resident Ishmael Reed’s new play “The Conductor” where there’s a passage on the difference between the ‘House Negro’ and the ‘Field Negro.’ That’s where House Negros served the master’s family in the house, and the Field Negroes picked the cotton.

Malcom X, in a speech at Michigan State in 1963, said for the House Negro, the master’s pain was his pain. And it hurt him more for his master to be sick than for him to be sick himself. The Field Negro? When the master got sick, they prayed he’d die.

And perhaps that helps explain Trump’s valet Nauta.

We also know he’s almost as sick as the master.

In the unsealed affidavit this week, Nauta is shown in security camera footage carrying three boxes inside Mar-a-Lago on May 24. Then two days later, when interviewed by the FBI, he is alleged to have denied knowing anything about the boxes.

Four days after the interview, Nauta is seen on the surveillance footage moving 50 boxes out of a storage room.

Then on June 2, footage shows Nauta moved 25-30 boxes back to the storage room. On Trump’s command?

The arithmetic is damning.

But Nauta stays selflessly loyal. He’s doubly cursed: colonial mentality and House Negro all rolled into one.

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a news-reality talk show on www.amok.com

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Oakland Post: Week of May 6 – 12, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of may 6 – 12, 2026

Published

3 days ago

May 10, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Activism

Up to the Job: How San Francisco’s PRC Is Providing Work Opportunities That Turn Into Lasting Stability

Each year, PRC serves more than 5,000 clients through a wide range of programs. These include housing navigation, legal advocacy to ensure access to health and public benefits, supportive housing, job and life-skills training, and residential treatment programs.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Black Leadership Council (BLC) Advocacy Day in Sacramento. BLC works to advance meaningful change through policy engagement to unlock the full potential of Black and low-income communities. Photo courtesy of PRC.

By Joe Kocurek, California Black Media

Seville Christian arrived in San Francisco in the 1990s from Kansas City, Mo., a transgender woman coming from a time and place still hostile to who she was.

San Francisco offered a deeper LGBTQ+ history and a more visible community of people like her, but even in a city known for acceptance, building a stable life from scratch was no small task.

After arriving in the city, she turned to Positive Resource Center (PRC) looking for work — and for a foothold — in a new place.

“PRC gave me my first job,” Christian said. “A simple gig — passing out magazines at the San Francisco Pride Parade.”

That first opportunity marked the beginning of a decades-long relationship with PRC, one that has seen Christian grow from client to valued employee, and eventually to policy fellow.

“Today, I’ve been with PRC for 27 years, going on 28,” she said.

Seville Christian’s decades-long relationship with PRC includes as a client, fellow and beloved employee. Photo courtesy of PRC.

Helping people access employment and build sustainable careers has been a cornerstone of PRC’s mission since its inception nearly four decades ago. In its most recent annual impact report, PRC served 443 clients through workforce development services, including career counseling, educational programs, hands-on training, and job search assistance. The average wage earned by PRC clients is $26.48 per hour — approximately 38% above San Francisco’s minimum wage.

To advance this work, organizations like PRC have benefited from funding through California’s Stop the Hate Program, which provides direct support to community-based organizations leading anti-hate initiatives.

Christian’s path was not without challenges. During some rocky years, she experienced periods of housing instability and struggled with addiction. Through PRC, she enrolled in a life-skills program that emphasized using her own lived experience as a means of helping others. The program helped set her on a path toward completing an associate’s degree and ultimately launching a career in case management.

“Today, whether someone is new to the city or has lived here their whole life, I know how to help them navigate to where they need to be,” Christian said.

Members of PRC’s Black Leadership Council meet with a lawmaker in Sacramento. Photo courtesy of PRC.

While PRC was founded to serve people living with HIV, its mission has expanded over the decades to meet the needs of people with disabilities, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those facing mental health and substance use challenges.

According to PRC’s Chief of Public Policy and Public Affairs, Tasha Henneman, some of the organization’s earliest programs remain as vital today as they were at the start.

“Our emergency financial assistance program helped more than 1,200 people this year pay rent, cover medical bills, and keep the lights on,” Henneman said. “And over 1,400 people reached out for legal advocacy, resulting in more than $2.5 million in retroactive benefits unlocked.”

Beyond direct services, PRC is deeply committed to community empowerment and policy change. Programs such as the Black Leadership Council support community leaders in advocating for systemic reform, while the Black Trans Initiative focuses on addressing the unique challenges faced by Black transgender individuals.

A recent study from the Williams Institute highlighted findings that 71% of transgender homicide victims in the U.S. between 2010 and 2021 were Black and that nearly a third of the transgender homicides during that period were confirmed or suspected hate crimes.

PRC’s direct and indirect services can be a lifeline for people experiencing hate and are an example of the resources people can get connected with through the state’s CA vs Hate hotline.

PRC is now also producing a film project that centers the lived experiences of Black trans clients, including individuals like Christian.

PRC welcomed guests to their annual Open House in April, an evening dedicated to connection, reflection, and learning more about the programs and people working every day to support San Franciscans experiencing housing instability, unemployment, and behavioral health challenges. Photo courtesy of PRC.

“Our film highlights the health journeys and lived experiences of some of PRC’s Black trans clients,” Henneman said. “Our goal is to give voice, visibility, and agency to the participants — and to bring their stories, both harrowing and inspirational, to policymakers and the broader public.”

The film, expected to be released later this year, is directed by Yule Caise, with assistant director Zarina Codes, a Black transgender San Francisco resident.

Today, Christian continues her relationship with PRC as an ambassador, reflecting on a journey that began with a single job opportunity and grew into a lifelong commitment to service.

“Sometimes I’ll be riding the bus or standing in a grocery store, and someone will come up to me from a women’s shelter,” she said. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, Miss Seville, I just want to thank you. You really helped me with what I was dealing with.’”

She paused, smiling.

“And in those moments,” Christian said, “I think to myself, “Well!.”

A single word that sums up pride in a journey to find the best in herself.

Get Support After Hate:

California vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hotline and online portal offering confidential support for hate crimes and incidents. Victims and witnesses can get help anonymously by calling 833-8-NO-HATE (833-866-4283), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. PT, or online at any time. Anonymous. Confidential. No Police. No ICE.

This story was produced in partnership with CA vs Hate. Join them for the first-ever CA Civil Rights Summit on May 11, 2026. More information at www.cavshate.org/summit.