Former US president Donald Trump is facing new criminal charges in relation to the mishandling of classified files at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. The charges include one count of wilful retention of defense information and two counts of obstruction, bringing the total number of charges in this case to 40.
According to the indictment, Trump is accused of pressuring an employee, Carlos de Oliveira, to delete security footage that allegedly showed the illegal handling of classified documents. Trump denies any wrongdoing and has referred to the prosecutor as “deranged.” His close aide, Walt Nauta, has also been indicted with two additional charges of obstruction.
The court documents outline alleged efforts between Nauta and de Oliveira to obstruct the Department of Justice’s investigation. It is claimed that they conspired to delete footage from security cameras after receiving a subpoena for surveillance footage of the basement where confidential documents were allegedly kept.
The indictment also alleges that Trump knowingly discussed a top-secret document with biographers visiting Mar-a-Lago, which reportedly contained possible plans to attack “Country A” (identified as Iran by CNN and other outlets).
This is just one of the legal challenges Trump is currently facing, as he is also awaiting trial for a hush-money case and civil charges in a defamation case. Prosecutors in Georgia are also considering potential charges related to an alleged effort to overturn the election results.
Trump’s attorneys met with the special prosecutor, Jack Smith, earlier in the day to discuss another investigation into alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Despite the mounting legal troubles, Trump’s popularity with Republicans reportedly continues to rise.
As the legal battle unfolds, Trump is simultaneously running for president again in the 2024 elections. The former president’s team issued a statement dismissing the fresh charges, calling them part of an “illegal witch hunt.” The situation remains fluid, and further developments are expected as the legal proceedings continue.
