The case of classified documents… a new legal dilemma facing Trump
Although former U.S. President Donald Trump is already accused in the case of classified documents, he is now facing a new legal predicament in this matter.
Trump is facing new charges in relation to his mishandling of classified documents when he left the White House, and the trial is scheduled to begin on May 20, 2024.
In a recently published court document on Thursday, federal prosecutors specifically accuse the front-runner in the 2024 Republican Party primaries of attempting to delete surveillance camera footage from his residence in Florida, in an effort to prevent it from falling into the hands of investigators.
Trump and two of his aides are facing charges that they asked a staff member at Mar-a-Lago club to “erase the surveillance camera footage to avoid handing over these images” to the judiciary.
Former aide Walt Nauta was previously charged alongside Trump, while it is the first time the second aide, Carlos de Oliveira, faces accusations.
According to the prosecution, the latter insisted to a technical worker at the residence, telling him that “the President wants this server erased.”
Trump’s campaign team stated in a statement that these new allegations are “just another endless attempt” by the current President Joe Biden’s administration to harass his predecessor.
The statement added that the special prosecutor assigned to the case, Jack Smith, “knows that there is nothing in the file.”
Earlier, Trump stated that he is not guilty in this case, which a judge set a date for last week, May 20, 2024, for the start of the trial, marking the first time a former president faces such a situation.
This new element in the case of White House archives documents comes on the same day when the billionaire Republican’s lawyers met representatives from the Department of Justice in another investigation related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, a case in which he may also face charges.