The indictment from the Department of Justice (DOJ) against former President Donald Trump includes photographs of classified documents discovered at his Mar-a-Lago residence. This new development adds to the extensive list of felonies Trump is already facing in relation to retaining classified documents after leaving the White House.
Trump, who is currently the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is now facing three new federal criminal charges. The superseding indictment accuses Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, of attempting to delete video surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago club in 2022. This occurred when federal officials were investigating the presence of government records at that location.
Additionally, Trump is accused of retaining a classified document about a U.S. military plan of attack on Iran. He shared this document with a writer, publisher, and two staff members at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, in July 2021. At the time, Trump’s guests did not possess the necessary security clearances to view such classified material.
A third defendant, Carlos de Oliveira, who is the head of maintenance at Mar-a-Lago, has been added to the case. De Oliveira allegedly informed another employee that Trump wanted to delete a server containing surveillance footage of how Trump’s boxes were moved around at the club.
The new charges against Trump include an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two counts of obstruction. The obstruction charges pertain to the efforts made by Trump, Nauta, and de Oliveira to delete Mar-a-Lago security camera footage requested by a federal grand jury in 2022.
With these new charges, Trump now faces a total of 40 criminal counts in the case. The most serious charges carry a maximum prison term of 20 years. De Oliveira, on the other hand, has been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, altering, destroying, and mutilating a document, as well as making false statements.
Trump stored hundreds of government documents at Mar-a-Lago and took steps to conceal them from U.S. officials seeking their return. Both Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty, and a trial is scheduled for May, just a few months before the general election.
De Oliveira is set to appear in Miami federal court on Monday for his initial hearing. The DOJ’s spokesperson, Peter Carr, confirmed the addition of one defendant and four charges to the indictment.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, criticized the DOJ’s new charges, calling them a desperate attempt to target the former president. Cheung alleged that the DOJ is trying to salvage a baseless investigation and find someone other than Trump to challenge President Joe Biden.
In addition to this case, Trump is under investigation by the special counsel, Jack Smith, regarding his attempts to contest the 2020 election results. Smith recently notified Trump that he is a target in that probe. However, the grand jury in Washington, D.C., concluded a session without issuing an indictment.
Apart from these legal issues, Trump is also facing charges related to falsifying business documents in Manhattan and is being investigated by a district attorney in Georgia for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state.
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