A Trump White House official has been charged in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the improper handling of classified documents.
According to two sources familiar with the indictment, after Trump was charged on seven counts on Thursday, Walt Nauta is the second person to be indicted as part of the special counsel's probe.
Nauta's lawyer declined to comment. This week, Nauta joined Trump at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, CNN reported.
Nauta is facing certain charges, which have not been made public.
In response to Nauta's indictment, Trump wrote on his social media Friday, “They are trying to destroy his life, like the lives of so many others, hoping that he will say bad things about ‘Trump.’ He is strong, brave, and a Great Patriot. The FBI and DOJ are CORRUPT!”
Investigators focused on Nauta's role in the transportation of boxes containing classified information at Trump's Florida club.
Before the FBI carried out a search warrant on the Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach last August, Nauta relocated the crates with the aid of a maintenance worker.
In accordance with court documents from the previous year, the FBI discovered more than 100 documents marked as classified during the search.
This occurred weeks after a Trump lawyer acknowledged that the Trump campaign had complied with a subpoena issued in May requesting the production of all documents marked as classified.
As previously reported by CNN, investigators found security footage showing Nauta and the employee transporting boxes of classified data about the resort.
Nauta had spoken with investigators several times throughout the investigation, initially claiming he hadn't handled any boxes or confidential information at Mar-a-Lago.
Additionally, Nauta changed his narrative once the surveillance film was made available, and the assistant eventually stopped speaking to investigators last autumn after switching counsel.