Trump Accused of Requesting Deletion of Camera Footage in Classified Document Case: New Charges Emerge
An updated indictment against Donald Trump alleges that he asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in order to obstruct the federal investigation into his possession of classified documents. The new charges of obstruction and willful retention of national defense information further compound Trump’s legal troubles, as he also faces the possibility of an additional indictment in Washington for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Trump’s spokesperson dismissed the charges as a “desperate and flailing attempt” by the Biden administration to harass the former president and influence the 2024 presidential race. The indictment reveals that the classified documents were taken by Trump to Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House in January 2021. The superseding indictment also accuses Trump of willfully retaining national defense information related to discussing U.S. military plans to attack another country during an interview in July 2021. This shift in the prosecution’s approach charges Trump for retaining a sensitive document after leaving office, rather than just failing to return it when requested. Both Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
