Prosecutors: Trump asked to have Mar-a-Lago security footage deleted
Additional charges have been filed against former President Donald Trump in his classified documents case, including attempting to alter, destroy, mutilate or conceal evidence.
Trump brought classified documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida, at the conclusion of his presidency. In June, he was charged with 37 federal counts, including illegal retention of national defense information and conspiracy to obstruct justice. His valet, Walt Nauta, was charged with six counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice and concealing records. Both men pleaded not guilty.
On Thursday, federal prosecutors unsealed charges against a third defendant, Carlos De Oliveira, the head of maintenance at Mar-a-Lago. Surveillance footage captured in June 2022 showed De Oliveira moving boxes into a Mar-a-Lago storage room in the days between a grand jury issuing a subpoena for Trump to return all classified documents and federal prosecutors visiting the property, The New York Times reported. Prosecutors also found that later in the month, after a subpoena was issued to the Trump Organization for surveillance footage shot near the storage room, De Olivera called the Mar-a-Lago information technology worker who oversaw camera footage.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The updated indictment alleges that at the request of Trump, De Oliveira asked the IT employee to "delete security camera footage" at Mar-a-Lago in order to "prevent the footage from being provided to a federal grand jury." De Oliveira received an additional charge of lying to the FBI, after telling agents during a January interview that he did not see the boxes being moved or help move them.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How secure are royal palaces?
The Explainer Royal family's safety is back in the spotlight after the latest security breach at Windsor
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magnificent Tudor castles and stately homes to visit this year
The Week Recommends The return of 'Wolf Hall' has sparked an uptick in visits to Britain's Tudor palaces
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
I'm a Celebrity 2024: 'utterly bereft of new ideas'?
Talking Point Coleen Rooney is the star attraction but latest iteration of reality show is a case of 'rinse and repeat'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The clown car cabinet
Opinion Even 'Little Marco' towers above his fellow nominees
By Mark Gimein Published
-
What Mike Huckabee means for US-Israel relations
In the Spotlight Some observers are worried that the conservative evangelical minister could be a destabilizing influence on an already volatile region
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with Trump
Talking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'All Tyson-Paul promised was spectacle and, in the end, that's all we got'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Can Europe pick up the slack in Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Trump's election raises questions about what's next in the war
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in Russia
Speed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What does the G20 summit say about the new global order?
Today's Big Question Donald Trump's election ushers in era of 'transactional' geopolitics that threatens to undermine international consensus
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
What will Trump mean for the Middle East?
Talking Point President-elect's 'pro-Israel stance' could mask a more complex and unpredictable approach to the region
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published