Rosalind Evans
Special counsel Jack Smith recently extended his classified documents lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, introducing serious new claims that Trump and his team attempted to erase Mar-a-Lago’s security footage required by the grand jury investigating government records mishandling.
These new accusations were introduced as a superseding indictment issued by a Florida grand jury. A third defendant, Carlos De Oliveira, a Mar-a-Lago employee, was included in the case. De Oliveira and Trump, and Walt Nauta are accused of obstructing the investigation by trying to erase the security footage at Trump’s Florida property.
A new charge against Trump emerged, linked to the alleged mishandling of the classified documents central to the case. Prosecutors identified a new record – possibly detailing Iran attack plans as reported by CNN – that Trump is claimed to have unlawfully retained.
Trump and Nauta have already denied the initial set of charges presented by Smith last month.
The new charges underline the severe and extensive legal risks Trump is facing. Trump could potentially face indictment in Smith’s election subversion probe, and additional charges are anticipated in the Fulton County, Georgia, investigation of Trump and his associates’ post-election behaviour.
Here are key points about the new charges in the classified documents case:
The accusation of Trump Requesting Security Footage Deletion
The indictment suggests Trump had a role in the effort to erase security footage from Mar-a-Lago after it was subpoenaed, stating that Trump “requested” a resort employee to delete the footage to “prevent the footage from being provided to a federal grand jury.”
The recent addition to the defendant’s list implicates Trump directly in the attempt to delete the security footage. The indictment alleges that De Oliveira informed another Trump employee, the IT director at Mar-a-Lago, that “the boss” wanted the server deleted. This occurred in June 2022, following the prosecutors’ subpoena for the security footage.
When the Trump employee, identified as Employee 4, mentioned his inability and possible lack of rights to delete the footage, De Oliveira further insisted, referencing “the boss” again, according to the prosecutors.
Alleged Mishandling of Iran Attack Plan Boosts Charges
The new indictment increases the counts of retaining national defence information against Trump to 32, adding a new count to the previous 31 counts for having a top secret “presentation concerning military activity in a foreign country.”
Trump supposedly flaunted this document – which CNN previously reported as related to Iran attack plans – during a recorded July 2021 interview at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. The updates and details in the superseding indictment contradict Trump’s earlier denials about the document in question.
The New Defendant’s Role
The new court documents detail De Oliveira’s alleged involvement in Trump and Nauta’s attempt to delete footage being subpoenaed by a grand jury. De Oliveira, 56, was also charged with making false statements during a January interview with the FBI about relocating boxes at the Florida resort.
The Next Steps
De Oliveira is set to be arraigned on the new charges at Miami’s federal courthouse on Monday morning before Chief Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres.
The effect of the new charges on the progress of the case against Trump and Nauta is unclear. The trial is scheduled to start in late May 2024 in Ft. Pierce, Florida, before US District Judge Aileen Cannon.
Even before the new charges were announced, there was a possibility that the trial date could be pushed back. However, the prosecutors have stated in a court filing accompanying the new indictment that the additional charges and the new defendant should not postpone the current schedule.
In a Fox News interview, Trump claimed that the new charges equate to “election interference at the highest level” and “prosecutorial misconduct.” He also asserted that his standing in the 2024 presidential election polls has made him a target of the Justice Department.
De Oliveira and Nauta’s attorneys have refrained from commenting.
The expanded case against former President Trump continues to unfold, with each new charge deepening the legal complexity surrounding him. As the legal proceedings progress, the implicated parties and the public wait to see how these charges will shape Trump’s future political prospects and reputation. With a potential 2024 presidential run on the horizon, the outcomes of these cases could have far-reaching consequences for Trump and the entire American political landscape.
