Donald Trump’s valet and co-defendant in their federal classified documents case was allegedly informed that he would receive a pardon if the former president is elected to a second term in the White House, court documents show.
The alleged pardon promise was relayed to the FBI in November of 2022 by a cooperating witness in the case, a year before a Florida grand jury indicted Trump and Walt Nauta for withholding classified White House documents.
“Nauta was told by [Trump’s] people that this investigation was not going anywhere, that it was politically motivated, and ‘much ado about nothing,’” the FBI’s heavily redacted notes from an interview with a former Trump White House employee, only identified as “Person 16,” state.
“Nauta was also told that if even if he gets charged with lying to the FBI, [Trump] will pardon him in 2024,” the witness told the bureau.
“Person 16” is described in the document as a former Trump White House employee who had “free access” to Trump and the Oval Office and has visited the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate on numerous occasions since 2021.
The witness declined to have his interview with the FBI recorded, fearing reprisal.
“Person 16 refused recording of the interview, despite being advised that not recording the interview would be anomalous compared to other witness interviews,” the memo notes. “Person 16 accepted ‘that risk,’ stating having the interview recorded ‘was a far bigger risk for him in the Trump world.’”
It’s unclear how the witness learned of the alleged Nauta pardon plan and who relayed that information to Nauta.
During Nauta’s interview with the FBI, a month prior to Person 16’s, the former Navy sailor lied to the bureau about the location and movement of boxes of White House documents at Mar-a-Lago, according to the Justice Department.
Nauta told FBI investigators that he led Trump to believe that he was out for a jog instead of talking with agents involved in the classified documents probe, his interview transcript shows.
Nauta and Trump have both pleaded not guilty in the case.