According to BBC , Trump and his close personal aide Walt Nauta have pleaded not guilty to the most recent allegations in the federal secret materials investigation.
The two men and a third adviser are accused of plotting to hide surveillance footage from the FBI at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
Both the former president, 77, and Mr. Nauta had already pleaded not guilty to similar accusations.
Mr. Trump is fighting on numerous fronts as he embarks on his third presidential campaign.
Special Counsel Jack Smith is in charge of the paper’s case, as well as a second indictment of Mr. Trump for alleged attempts to change the results of the 2020 election.
Mr. Smith’s office suggested to a federal court in Washington DC on Thursday that Mr. Trump face trial in the election case on January 2, 2024.
In June, he charged the former president with 37 charges of lying to investigators and keeping hundreds of private papers after leaving office, including information regarding US nuclear secrets and military plans.
Mr. Nauta, a former Trump White House military valet turned personal aide, was also charged in the indictment and accused of relocating papers in order to conceal them from the FBI.
Prosecutors outlined an alleged effort to hinder the inquiry by Mr. Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira, the property manager at Mar-a-Lago, in a superseding indictment.
According to the court complaint, the two individuals attempted to erase surveillance video outside the storage room where papers were kept at Mr. Trump’s direction.
This indictment added one count of intentional retention of defense information and two counts of obstruction to Mr. Trump’s case, raising the total number of accusations against him to 40.
He had earlier renounced his right to appear in court in Florida on Thursday. Todd Blanche, his attorney, submitted a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
In the second indictment, Mr. Nauta was charged with two more counts of obstruction, while Mr. de Oliveira was accused of four counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.
Both individuals were there, but Mr. de Oliveira was unable to enter a plea since he had not yet obtained local counsel. His arraignment has been moved to next Tuesday.
Mr. de Oliveira’s lawyer, John Irving, did not immediately reply to a request for comment from the BBC. He previously told ABC that preparations for local lawyers will be “ironed out” soon.
Johnupdates (
)
