WASHINGTON: Prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith’s office have added new counts against ex-President Donald Trump in the case involving classified documents discovered at his Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago.
An indictment unsealed by the US Justice Department lists several new counts against the former president, including: altering, mutilating, destroying, or concealing an object; and corruptly destroying, mutilating, altering, or concealing a document, record, or other object; and an additional allegation of willful retention of national defense information, CBS News reported.
The embattled former president was previously charged with thirty-seven felony counts, including third-one counts of willful retention of documents with classified marking and one charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and argued the case was a politically motivated witch hunt against him. His ex-aide Walt Nauta was also hit with counts in the case. Who also pleaded not guilty.
Latest Document Names Third Defendant
The latest document includes a third defendant in the case Carlos De Oliveira, who is a property manager at Mar-a-Lago and former valet. He faces one charge of altering, mutilating, destroying, or concealing an object; one charge of corruptly altering, mutilating destroying, or concealing a document, record or other object; and one charge of giving false statements and representations in a voluntary interview with federal investigators.
Trump campaign’s spokesperson Steve Cheung claimed the new charges are part of an effort to damage the former president as he tries for the Republican presidential nomination.
