Former US President Donald Trump, who is eyeing the 2024 presidential nomination, defended the handling of surveillance footage at his Florida home, which has become the focal point of new criminal charges against him. In his first public interview since being accused of these crimes, Trump stated on “The John Fredericks Show” that the tapes in question were given to the authorities. However, he claimed that the authorities demanded more than what he had provided. Trump reiterated his commitment to continue his campaign even if he is convicted and sentenced, asserting that nothing in the Constitution prohibits him from running for president under such circumstances.
Later in the day, Trump took to social media to criticize the Department of Justice and accused special counsel Jack Smith of attempting to destroy the lives of his loyal employees. He characterized these actions as “Third World intimidation” and called for Smith, his prosecutors, and Attorney General Merrick Garland to be imprisoned.
A superseding indictment was filed in federal court, adding three more criminal counts against Trump in addition to the 37 he already faced. His alleged co-conspirator, Walt Nauta, also received additional charges. Both Trump and Nauta pleaded not guilty to the previous charges. The indictment also named Carlos de Oliveira, the property manager at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, as a new defendant in the case.
The new charges focus on an alleged attempt by Trump and his aides to delete video surveillance footage that was sought by a federal grand jury in June 2022. Prosecutors claimed that de Oliveira informed another employee, Yuscil Taveras, about Trump’s desire to delete the server containing the footage. Taveras, an IT worker, has previously appeared before a grand jury in relation to his interactions with Nauta and de Oliveira.
The obstruction charges related to the alleged scheme to delete the surveillance footage carry a maximum prison term of 20 years. De Oliveira is also accused of lying to the FBI during an interview regarding his knowledge of the efforts to move records at Mar-a-Lago. De Oliveira is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Monday.
Additionally, Trump faces a new count of retaining a classified document, which he allegedly showed to individuals at his club in New Jersey in 2021. This brings the total number of criminal counts for willful retention of national defense information to 32.
In his interview, Trump expressed uncertainty about whether the surveillance footage actually needed to be handed over. He suggested that the authorities may have been attempting to intimidate people into fabricating lies about him, emphasizing his innocence. Trump also mentioned his belief that he is protected by the Presidential Records Act, although legal experts have refuted this interpretation. The charges against him include violations of the Espionage Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Apart from these criminal charges, the special counsel is also investigating Trump’s involvement in attempts to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Trump was recently notified that he is a target in this separate probe, indicating that charges may be imminent.
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