Donald Trump’s co-defendant Walt Nauta finally has local counsel, which allowed him to enter a plea in the classified documents case.
Nauta, a Navy veteran who served as a Trump aide in the White House and now works for him as his personal valet, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Miami federal court to a charge of conspiring with the former president to obstruct the U.S. government’s efforts to retrieve classified documents.
He was joined by his Washington, D.C., defense attorney Stanley Woodward and Sasha Dadan, a Fort Pierce attorney.
Here’s what to know about Dadan, Nauta’s local counsel.
A former public defender
Sasha Dadan got her start as a public defender for the 19th Judicial Circuit, which includes Martin, St. Lucie Okeechobee and Indian River counties, according to her firm’s website.
As an assistant public defender, Dadan represented more than 3,000 clients in both adult and juvenile felony and misdemeanor cases. She now has her own practice, Dadan Law Firm, and handles criminal and family law matters.
Political ambitions?
In 2018, Dadan unsuccessfully ran for the Florida House District 83 seat as a Republican.
Dadan, the daughter of a Cuban mother and Argentine father, drew on her legal background while running, telling TCPalm that she “spent [her] life advocating for people without a voice” and would “continue standing up for the underdogs in our community if elected.”
Legal qualifications
Dadan graduated from Florida A&M University College of Law in 2013. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2014.
Aside from handling state cases, Dadan can represent defendants in federal cases in two district courts: the Middle District of Florida and the Southern District of Florida, where Nauta’s case is being heard.