Former President Donald Trump encountered a fresh legal challenge as new charges were brought against him on Thursday in connection with the alleged illegal possession of classified documents.
Prosecutors assert that Trump attempted to obstruct a federal investigation into the records by asking a staffer to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The updated indictment, issued by special counsel Jack Smith, includes additional counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information, further detailing the accusations against Trump and a close aide, which were previously presented last month.
These unexpected Florida charges come amid heightened anticipation of a possible supplementary indictment in Washington over Trump’s alleged endeavors to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The latest allegations underscore the extensive and still partially unknown legal ramifications facing Trump as he pursues a White House comeback in 2024 while simultaneously fending off criminal cases in multiple jurisdictions.
Central to the case is the surveillance footage from Trump’s Palm Beach estate, which he is alleged to have sought to delete after FBI and Justice Department investigators visited in June 2022 to collect classified documents he had taken with him upon leaving the White House.
The indictment also accuses him of unlawfully retaining a document he exhibited to visitors in New Jersey.
A spokesperson for Trump dismissed the new charges as a continuation of the Biden administration’s “desperate and flailing attempt” to harass the former president and influence the 2024 presidential race.
Related Article: White House Silent on Hunter Biden Plea Deal Collapse, Partner Devon Archer in Hiding
Federal Prosecutors Add New Charges and Co-Defendant to Indictment
Federal prosecutors further expanded the indictment on Thursday, naming Mar-a-Lago club maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira as the third co-defendant in the case, along with Trump’s valet Walt Nauta, who was indicted for obstruction last month.
The added charges against Trump involve attempting to destroy evidence and inducing someone else to do the same, in addition to an extra count under the Espionage Act for retaining a classified document about US plans to attack Iran, which he had discussed on tape at his Bedminster club in New Jersey.
The indictment details how Trump collaborated with Nauta and De Oliveira in a scheme to wipe a server containing crucial surveillance footage that prosecutors had subpoenaed, showing boxes of classified documents being removed from a storage room.
The evidence of Trump’s alleged efforts to obstruct the investigation grew, as he apparently asked Corcoran, his lawyer, about not responding to subpoenas and suggested denying the existence of any documents.
The indictment also revealed that Trump instructed Nauta to remove boxes containing classified documents from the area where Corcoran was intended to search.
Trump now faces over three dozen total charges, including more than 30 violations of the Espionage Act. His trial is scheduled for May 2024, following the Republican presidential primary contest, where he currently stands as the frontrunner.
Related Article: Explaining Pre-Existing Disease (PED) Coverage in Health Insurance
Source: AP, The Guardian