Former US President Donald Trump is facing new charges in connection with an ongoing federal investigation into the handling of classified documents. According to an updated indictment, Trump is accused of requesting an employee at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, to delete security footage as an alleged effort to obstruct the investigation.
Prosecutors claim that the ex-president conspired with his valet, Walt Nauta, and a property manager at Mar-a-Lago, Carlos De Oliveira, to conceal the video footage from federal investigators, who had issued a subpoena for it. According to the indictment, De Oliveira allegedly conveyed Mr. Trump’s desire to have a server containing security footage deleted.
The significance of the video footage became evident during the investigation, as it reportedly captured Nauta moving boxes of documents in and out of a storage room, including just a day before FBI agents visited the property.
The surveillance footage at Mar-a-Lago has been a crucial piece of evidence in the case, which revolves around the removal and retention of classified documents that Trump took with him after leaving the White House. The former president is now facing additional charges, including illegal retention of hundreds of secret papers, and a new defendant has been named in the indictment.
The updated indictment also alleges that the files were moved at the direction of Mr. Trump. The charges include counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information, further complicating the former president’s legal situation.
In response to the latest developments, Trump spoke to Fox News, describing the charges as “ridiculous” and claiming that he is being harassed, stating that the situation amounts to “election interference at the highest level.”
The trial date for Trump has been set for May 20th of next year. Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty.
Trump is also awaiting a possible additional indictment in Washington relating to his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.