President Donald Trump has appointed Walt Nauta, a Navy veteran and former co-defendant in special counsel Jack Smith's classified documents case, to the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Naval Academy, The Hill reported.
"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," Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. "Together, they will ensure continued Greatness for the Academy."
Spicer was reappointed to the Naval Academy after the Biden administration encouraged his resignation in 2021. He will serve alongside Nauta; Jackson, a Republican congressman from Texas and retired Navy officer; and Van Orden, a Republican congressman from Wisconsin and a retired Navy SEAL.
Nauta was indicted alongside Trump for allegedly violating the Espionage Act and related offenses linked to classified documents stored at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate. The case against Trump was dismissed in July, and an appellate court dropped the charges against Nauta, Trump's personal aide, and property manager Carlos De Oliveira last month.
Trump had pledged to pardon Nauta and De Oliveira if they were convicted.
The president's legal team has included attorney Stanley Woodward, who represented Trump's co-defendants in the classified documents case before joining the White House legal team in January.
Nauta's appointment follows Trump's decision to fire members of the Boards of Visitors for all four major U.S. military service academies, citing concerns over "woke ideology." These boards oversee student life and institutional policies at the academies.