The Justice Department has expressed its opposition to former President Donald Trump’s request to review and discuss classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence. In a court filing, the department argued that allowing Trump to handle these documents at the location where he is charged with retaining them would not be consistent with the law. Federal prosecutors have filed a renewed motion for a protective order, suggesting that Trump and his lawyers be allowed to view and discuss the documents only in a secure facility.
The filing also revealed that a superseding indictment has been filed against Trump, adding three new charges related to altering, destroying, mutilating, or concealing objects and documents. The government emphasized that Trump’s personal residences and offices are not authorized locations for the discussion of classified information, just as they wouldn’t be for any private citizen. The government also noted that Trump’s co-defendant, Walt Nauta, a private citizen, has no need to access classified information.
The filing further states that Trump’s counsel may need to discuss classified documents with him to formulate their defense strategy. It names a third co-defendant, Mar-a-Lago worker Carlos De Oliveira, who allegedly helped move boxes for Trump and, along with Trump and Nauta, instructed an unnamed employee to delete security camera footage subject to a grand jury subpoena.
Both Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty to the initial charges in the documents case. The spokesperson for the Trump campaign claimed that the new counts are part of an effort to damage Trump’s reputation as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination.
Note: Melissa Quinn contributed to this report.
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[Trump Investigations]
[Author: Kathryn Watson]
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Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.
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