On Thursday, special counsel Jack Smith indicted a second Trump associate for obstructing justice by hoarding secret information and added new allegations against Donald Trump, including one that he attempted to remove surveillance video.
According to a superseding indictment filed in the Florida-based case, Carlos De Oliveira, a worker at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, is accused of lying about aiding indicted assistant Walt Nauta's efforts to conceal subpoenaed boxes of sensitive information around Trump's residence.
According to the amended charge, Trump and others tried to remove security footage from rooms where boxes were kept. According to the report, they made an attempt to persuade an unnamed individual to "delete security camera footage at the Mar-a-Lago Club to prevent the footage from being provided to a federal grand jury."
The indictment stated that "DE OLIVEIRA informed Trump Employee 4 that 'the boss' wanted the server deleted."
A federal grand jury indicted Trump and Nauta in June on obstruction charges stemming from how Trump handled sensitive information after leaving office. New accusations against Trump and Nauta are included in the updated indictment.
Attempts to "alter, destroy, mutilate or conceal evidence," as well as encouraging others to do so, are among the fresh allegations brought against the twice-indicted Trump.
The grand jury also added a charge of knowingly keeping and disclosing classified material related to national defense. The documents in question dealt with military plans for a strike on Iran, a topic Trump brought up in 2021 when hosting guests at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club.
Trump and Nauta have both entered guilty pleas to the allegations of obstruction. Trump has criticized the entire probe, calling it a politically motivated effort to scuttle his bid for the presidency in 2024.
The fresh allegations against the former president's workers were described by the Trump campaign as "a continued desperate and flailing attempt" by the Biden administration to "harass President Trump and those around him." The Biden campaign criticized the superseding indictment in a statement.
Regarding the superseding indictment, Trump stated in an interview with Fox News Digital, "They're harassing my company, they're harassing my family, and by far, least importantly of all, they're harassing me."
In a statement released in support of the campaign, Smith claimed that he "knows that they have no case and is casting about for any way to salvage their illegal witch hunt and to get someone other than Donald Trump to run against" Biden in 2024.
A trial in the papers lawsuit has been set for May 20, 2024, according to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is headquartered in Florida. That comes after the majority of the primaries that will decide whether Trump will once again receive a presidential nomination.
On the same day that Trump's attorneys met with Smith's office to discuss a different case—an probe into attempts to void Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election—the updated indictment was released.
This month, Trump claimed that he had received a target letter and might be charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 uprising.
In addition, the former president will stand trial in New York City in March on state charges related to hush money.
Trump's legal team has hinted that they would try to push all of his trials out until after the presidential election on November 5, 2024.
what to know about superseding indictment
On Thursday, Smith submitted a superseding indictment against Trump in the case involving his alleged misuse of secret documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
A formal criminal complaint known as a superseding indictment is filed by a grand jury to take the place of an initial indictment. Superseding indictments typically amend the original indictment by adding or deleting defendants or adding or deleting allegations.
A Mar-a-Lago employee who was not accused in the original indictment was also charged in the superseding indictment against Trump, which included new accusations against the former president.
Whenever new information or evidence justifies amending the previous indictment, prosecutors typically file superseding indictments.
Carlos de Oliveira, who is he?
At the Mar-a-Lago resort owned by the late President Donald Trump, Carlos De Oliveira works in maintenance.
According to the superseding indictment submitted on Thursday, De Oliveira, 56, has managed Mar-a-Lago's property since January 2022. De Oliveira was a valet at the Florida resort before being promoted to property manager.
When De Oliveira started serving as Trump's valet at Mar-a-Lago is unknown.
According to the indictment released on Thursday, De Oliveira is accused of providing false statements and conspiring to obstruct justice.
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