Associated Press
An employee of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Carlos De Oliveira, is expected to make his first court appearance Monday on charges accusing him of scheming with the former President to hide security footage from investigators probing Trump’s hoarding of classified documents.
De Oliveira, Mar-a-Lago’s property manager, was added last week to the indictment with Trump and the former President’s valet, Walt Nauta, in the federal case alleging a plot to illegally keep top-secret records at Trump’s Florida estate and thwart government efforts to retrieve them.
De Oliveira faces charges including conspiracy to obstruct justice and lying to investigators. He’s scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge in Miami nearly two months after Trump pleaded not guilty in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
The developments in the classified documents case come as Trump braces for possible charges in another federal investigation into his efforts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election. Trump has received a letter from Smith indicating that he is a target of that investigation, and Trump’s lawyers met with Smith’s team last week.
An attorney for De Oliveira declined last week to comment on the allegations. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and said the Mar-a-Lago security tapes were voluntarily handed over to investigators. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform last week that he was told the tapes were not “deleted in any way, shape or form.”
Prosecutors have not alleged that security footage was actually deleted or kept from investigators.
Nauta has also pleaded not guilty. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had previously scheduled the trial of Trump and Nauta to begin in May, and it’s unclear whether the addition of De Oliveira to the case may impact the case’s timeline.
The latest indictment, unsealed on Thursday, alleges Trump tried to have security footage deleted after investigators visited in June 2022 to collect classified documents Trump took with him after he left the White House.
Trump was already facing dozens of felony counts — including willful retention of notional defense information — stemming from allegations that he mishandled government secrets that as commander-in-chief he was entrusted to protect. Experts have said the new allegations bolster the special counsel’s case and deepen the former President’s legal jeopardy.
Video from Mar-a-Lago would ultimately become vital to the government’s case because, prosecutors said, it shows Nauta moving boxes in and out of a storage room — an act alleged to have been done at Trump’s direction and in effort to hide records not only only from investigators but Trump’s own lawyers.
Days after the Justice Department sent a subpoena for video footage at Mar-a-Lago to the Trump Organization in June 2022, prosecutors say De Oliveira asked a information technology staffer how long the server retained footage and told the employee “the boss” wanted it deleted. When the employee said he didn’t believe he was able to do that, De Oliveira insisted the “boss” wanted it done, asking, “What are we going to do?”
Shortly after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago and found classified records in the storage room and Trump’s office, prosecutors say Nauta called a Trump employee and said words to the effect of, “someone just wants to make sure Carlos is good.” The indictment says the employee responded that De Oliveira was loyal and wouldn’t do anything to affect his relationship with Trump. That same day, the indictment alleges, Trump called De Oliveira directly to say that he would get De Oliveira an attorney.
Prosecutors allege De Oliveira later lied in interviews with investigators, falsely claiming he hadn’t even seen boxes moved into Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
7 comments
Dont Say FLA
July 31, 2023 at 7:52 am
If Mr Trump had got Ron DeSantis a job at Maga Lardo rather than State of Florida, we would all have won.
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Igary salters
July 31, 2023 at 7:55 am
AS THE RACIST ORANGE COLOR NUT USED TO SAY ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON LOCK HIM UP ENOUGH SAID
Earl Pitts "The Ronalds UnOfficial Campaign Manager" American
July 31, 2023 at 9:23 am
Good mornting America,
And so it continues the Dook 4 Brains Leftist “Real Powers Behind The Curtian” (how ya doing Barak?) march forward with their £ff with The Donald some more in court ongoing saga.
Why do they do this – new readers to our beloved and benevolant host F. P. – often and wisely ask?
I, Earl Pitts American, am glad you asked. So let me preach and educate on it.
The majority of partially politically engaged Americans think its because the left hates The Donald and wants to knock him out of becoming the RINO controlled RNC’s 2024 nominee in the race to the White House.
Wrong.
The left 100% knows, just as you have correctly observed, that The Donald’s popularity goes up each and every time the left messes with The Donald in court.
Now here comes your Good Mornting America Poly Sci 101 lesson:
So logically, America, the left really wants to repeat 2020 and spank The Donald again. The best method to ensure The RINO backed RNC selects The Donald is to build up his polling numbers in the exact method currently in play by the “Real Powers Behind The Curtian” (how ya doing Barak ?).
So in closing, the left knows 100% they will beat The Donald if they can trick The RINO backed RNC to choose him as their 2024 candidate over their most feared 2024 opponant – The Next POTUS Ron Desantis [and BTW the only man in America who can actually beat the leftists].
Side Bar: The Donald is likely standing to benifit Bigley by playing along with the left in this evil plot to “take the fall once again – just like 2020” and destroy forever our once Great Nation.
So in summary call your Representatives and Senators in DC and demand they get on board with Desantis by using all their powers to insure Desantis is forced on The RNC as the Republican 2024 candidate.
*Note to our beloved host F. P. and all members of The EPA Fan Club – I am sorry for the leingth of this morntings Poly Sci 101 classroom lecture, but as everyone can clearly see, the entire future of our Great Nation depends on getting this vital information into the hearts and minds of as many Patriots as possable to prevent the left’s “final solution” distruction of The USA as a global leader.
Thank you America,
Earl Pitts “Poly Sci 101 Professor” American
* note to FL Senator Scott: Son its past time for your endorsement of The Ronald. Your time to p00p or get off the pot is now ‘Lil Rickey.*
Dont Say FLA
July 31, 2023 at 9:48 am
Rather than draining the swamp, Trump took control of the swamp and, like MAGA folks say, he is in the driver’s seat.
Trump is definitely having Democrats manufacture indictments for the sole purpose of boosting the Trump campaign. They’re all in it together, imo.
I think even DeSantis has to be working for Trump, trying to make Trump look like the least bad choice. There’s no other explanation for how such a brilliant and effective guy in Florida can be running such an awful national campaign.
Is there another explanation? Dad I am confused. Help me understand! Why is Ron floundering like he is? It makes no sense.
Your sondaughter,
Dontcé
Earl Pitts "The Ronalds UnOfficial Campaign Manager" American
July 31, 2023 at 12:35 pm
I am so proud of my Dontcé 🤩
Andrew
July 31, 2023 at 5:10 pm
Squeal like a pig! 106 jailed for his lies, more will squeal!
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