Confidential documents: Donald Trump targeted by new charges

Former US President Donald Trump is facing new charges on Thursday in the case of his negligent handling of confidential documents upon his departure from the White House, a case for which a trial is scheduled for May 2024.

• Read also: Donald Trump trial set for May 20, 2024

• Read also: Confidential documents: Trump’s trial will be presided over by a federal judge he has appointed

Federal prosecutors, in a court document released Thursday, blame the 2024 Republican primary frontrunner for trying to have CCTV footage erased from his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida to prevent they do not fall into the hands of the investigators.

Mr. Trump and two of his assistants are accused of having asked an employee of the residence to “delete video surveillance images of the Mar-a-Lago Club to prevent these images from being released. to justice.

Listen to the chronicle of Luc Laliberté, expert in American politics broadcast every day live at 8:20 a.m. via QUB radio :

One of the two aides, Walt Nauta, had already been charged alongside Donald Trump. The indictment of the second, Carlos de Oliveira, is new.

The latter, according to the prosecution, “insisted” with a technician of the residence, saying “that + the boss + wanted this server to be erased”.

These new charges, Mr. Trump’s campaign team responded, “are just another never-ending attempt” by the Biden administration to “harass” his predecessor. The special prosecutor in charge of the case, Jack Smith, “knows that there is nothing in the file”, adds the press release.

Donald Trump has already pleaded not guilty and a judge set the opening of the trial for May 20, 2024 last week, a first for a former president.

This new element in the White House records case comes the day the Republican billionaire’s lawyers met with Justice Department officials in another investigation into attempts to overturn his election loss. of 2020, for which he could also be charged.

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