The US Department of Justice has brought new charges against former US President Donald Trump as part of the ongoing investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.
Three additional felonies have been filed against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith, including the startling allegation that he ordered a Mar-a-Lago club employee to erase security camera footage that was being sought by investigators looking into his handling of sensitive information.
Prosecutors charged Trump with having a highly secret war plan that he shared with people without security clearances months after his administration ended in a 60-page superseding indictment released on Thursday. Additionally, the prosecution named Carlos De Oliveira as a third defendant. He is a Mar-a-Lago employee suspected of conspiring with Trump and his adviser Walt Nauta to seek the destruction of the security footage.
The new allegations are a shocking development in the prosecution’s case against the former president, who has previously claimed that he “quickly” provided the government with access to all security camera footage from his estate.
Regarding the alleged attempt to remove the security camera footage, Trump is now accused of two additional counts of obstructing the administration of justice. Due to his alleged possession of the war plan, the new accusation also adds a felony offence under the Espionage Act. He is now charged with eight charges of attempting to hinder the inquiry and 32 counts of willfully retaining national defence information under the Espionage Act.
Along with Trump and his associate Walt Nauta, another person was indicted in the case. Maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira, the newly named defendant, is suspected of attempting to destroy surveillance footage in the summer of 2022.
