On Thursday, former President Donald Trump was hit with fresh charges in an ongoing case accusing him of illegally possessing classified documents. Prosecutors allege Trump requested a staffer to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to obstruct a federal investigation.
The indictment claims that Trump, valet Nauta, and property manager Carlos De Oliveira corruptly altered and concealed documents between June and August 2022 to impair their use in official proceedings. Investigators had visited the estate in June 2022 to collect classified documents Trump allegedly took with him after leaving the White House in 2021.
The updated indictment includes new counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information, adding detail to the accusations brought against Trump and his aide. Allegedly, the footage in question showed Nauta moving boxes of documents in and out of a storage room, including such action a day before a visit by FBI and Justice Department officials.
The prosecution also accused Trump of retaining a highly sensitive document regarding U.S. military plans after leaving office. Both Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty to all charges. A Trump spokesperson dismissed the new charges as an attempt by the Biden administration to harass the former president.
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