Trump accused of trying to delete CCTV footage in secret documents case

Federal prosecutors reinforced the charges against former US President Donald Trump in connection with a case involving his reckless handling of classified documents when he left the White House. 

They accused him of attempting to delete surveillance camera footage that had caught the investigators' attention.

These new charges add to the existing file, and the trial is scheduled to begin on May 20, 2024, in Florida, amidst the Republican Party's primary elections, where Donald Trump is considered the frontrunner to secure the Republican nomination for the upcoming presidential election.

The former president, who is already facing legal troubles, denies these accusations.

Earlier in June, Trump was already charged in connection with this case. However, in a court document published on Thursday, federal prosecutors accused the former president of attempting to erase surveillance camera footage from his residence in Florida to prevent it from falling into the hands of investigators.

Trump, along with two of his aides, is accused of asking a staff member at Mar-a-Lago club to "delete surveillance camera footage from the club to prevent the images from being turned over to the judiciary."

One of the aides, Walt Nuta, had previously been charged alongside Trump, while it is the first time that Carlos de Oliveira, the second aide, faces charges. 

According to the allegations, de Oliveira "insisted" to a technical worker at Mar-a-Lago, telling him that "the president wants to get rid of this service," when federal investigators requested surveillance tapes from a storage room containing document boxes.

The former president is also accused of holding an additional classified military document, which he presented and described to several individuals after leaving the White House as "very secret" and not having the "secret" label removed, as mentioned in the recording.

Trump responded to the new charges through a statement on Fox News' website, calling them "ridiculous," and once again accusing President Joe Biden of being behind the ongoing federal investigation.

He stated, "This is election interference. If we were not leading Biden by large margins in many polls, this wouldn't happen."

So far, Trump has faced 37 charges, including "unlawful retention of national security information," "obstruction of justice," and "false testimony" in this case, which led to his acquittal in a federal court in Miami last June.

He is accused of jeopardizing US security by retaining classified documents after leaving the White House in January 2021, including military plans and information about nuclear weapons at his residence in Florida, instead of delivering them to the National Archives, as required by law.

Another law prohibits retaining state secrets in unauthorized and unsecured places.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump stated that his lawyers had met with representatives from the Department of Justice before the possibility of a new indictment in another case related to attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections, which he lost.

On July 18th, Trump announced that he had received a message from Jack Smith, informing him that the federal investigation was personally targeting him for his attempts to overturn the election results, especially the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He may face three charges in this case, including conspiracy against the American state, obstruction of an official proceeding, and denial of rights.

The possibility of a federal indictment in this latest case could be added to the ongoing one related to White House records, as well as the investigation being conducted by New York state regarding suspicious payments to a pornographic film actress.

Trump may face additional troubles, as it is expected that a district attorney in Georgia will announce the results of her investigation into the pressure he exerted in an attempt to change the results of the 2020 presidential election in this southern state by September.



AFP