Former US President Donald Trump faces new charges in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Trump has been accused of coercing an employee to delete security camera footage at the Florida estate. About a month ago, an audio recording revealed that Trump, while talking to his aides said he was in possession of a secret Pentagon document.
In the revised indictment, Trump has been charged with three new counts, one of wilful retention of defence information and two of obstruction, CNN reports. A Mar-a-Lago staff member Carlos de Oliveira has also been indicted in the case.
Trump reportedly asked de Oliveira what could be done to delete the footage. Another employee of Trump, Walt Nauta has also been accused of trying to delete the security footage concerning classified documents.
De Oliveira reportedly texted another employee who was the director of information technology that "the boss" wanted the server that held the recording to be deleted. Court documents state that Nauta and de Oliveira conspired to delete the footage after the Department of Justice issued a subpoena asking for surveillance footage of the basement where, reportedly, the confidential documents were held.
The employee de Oliviera had contacted in the IT room was coerced into deleting the footage despite the employee saying that he did not have the authority to do so. "What are we going to do," de Oliveira allegedly asked Nauta, whom he met in the IT room. Nauta and de Oliviera have also been charged with lying to the FBI about moving boxes at Trump’s golf club.
The documents were moved to a storage room just before Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran searched them. Despite this, when the FBI searched Mar a Lago in August 2022, they found 100 classified documents in the storage room and Trump’s office. Both Trump and Nauta who were charged earlier have pleaded not guilty.