Trump faces additional charges of obstruction of justice, retention (W/superseding indictment) [View all]
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Last edited Thu Jul 27, 2023, 07:08 PM - Edit history (3)
Source: St Louis Post Dispatch Today
Donald Trump asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in an effort to obstruct the federal investigation into his possession of classified documents, according to an updated indictment unsealed Thursday that adds new charges against the former president and names an additional defendant.
The indictment includes new counts of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information, compounding Trump's legal jeopardy even as he braces for a possible additional indictment in Washington over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The additional counts underscore the extent of the yearlong investigation into Trump that first produced charges last month in the form of a 38-count indictment against Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta.
A Trump spokesperson dismissed the new charges as "nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt" by the Biden administration "to harass President Trump and those around him" and to influence the 2024 presidential race.
Read more: https://www.stltoday.com/news/nation-world/government-politics/trump-faces-additional-charges-of-obstruction-of-justice-willful-retention-of-classified-documents-in-florida/article_b1e6e5e1-4f71-5525-a61f-30cd02250f24.html
The reporter makes this comment at the end of the article: "It marks a notable shift in the prosecution’s approach to Trump’s case, charging him for retaining a document it alleges the former president knew was highly sensitive after he left office — and not just for failing to return it to the government when asked."
The superseding indictment can be found below. The first mention I see of defendant De Oliveira is on page 24, when he helps Nauta carry boxes.
Bottom of page 28: De Oliveira asks Trump Employee #5 not to tell anyone Nauta was "coming down" because that trip was supposed to be kept secret. Page 29, Nauta wanted De O' to ask Trump employee #4 how long security footage was kept. On June 29th, Nauta and De O' walked through the tunnel and pointed out surveillance cameras. Later that night, De O' had a private conversation regarding the security cameras with Trump Employee #4, which he asked to remain secret. He asked how many days the footage was retained on the server, was told it was about 45 days -- and then said "the boss" wanted the server deleted! Trump employee #4 said he told De O' that he should reach out to a Trump security supervisor, and De O' insisted that "the boss" wanted the server deleted.
On page 30, Trump reaches out through Trump employee #5 to ask if De O' is loyal. On hearing that he was, Trump called De O' and said he'd get him an attorney.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/nation-world/government-politics/trump-faces-additional-charges-of-obstruction-of-justice-willful-retention-of-classified-documents-in-florida/article_b1e6e5e1-4f71-5525-a61f-30cd02250f24.html
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