Trump charged with seeking to delete security footage in documents case

[Blkfyre]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/27/trump-carlos-deoliveira-classified-indictment/

So, Trump continues to accrue more charges in the documents case:


Prosecutors announced additional charges against Donald Trump on Thursday in his alleged hoarding and hiding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, accusing the former president and a newly-indicted aide of trying to keep security camera footage from being reviewed by investigators and bringing the number of total federal charges against Trump to 40.

Trump already faced 31 counts of illegally retaining national defense information, but federal prosecutors led by special counsel Jack Smith have added a 32nd to the list. That count centers on a now-infamous conversation Trump allegedly had at his golf club and summer residence in Bedminster, N.J., in July 2021, focused on what has been described by others as a secret military document concerning Iran.

In that conversation, which was recorded, Trump said: "As president I could have declassified it. ... Now I can't, you know, but this is still secret."

The new indictment also levels accusations of a broader effort by Trump and some of those around him to cover their tracks as the FBI sought to retrieve highly classified documents kept at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's home and private club, long after his presidency ended. The indictment charges that Trump and two aides, Waltine "Walt" Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, requested that another Trump employee "delete security camera footage at the Mar-a-Lago Club to prevent the footage from being provided to a federal grand jury."

While Trump has publicly claimed he was happy to hand over the footage in response to a grand jury subpoena, others close to him have said he was upset about it, and the indictment suggests a scramble among his aides soon after they received the demand for the footage. Prosecutors allege that Nauta, Trump's longtime valet, changed plans to travel with Trump to Illinois around the time the subpoena was sent, instead traveling to Florida to talk to other Trump employees about the camera footage. He appeared to try to keep the reason for the trip to Mar-a-Lago under wraps, the indictment alleges, telling others he was going there for different reasons.

Nauta was indicted alongside the former president in the documents case in June, accused of helping him mislead investigators as they sought to retrieve all of the classified material in Trump's possession.

Both Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty to the charges in the initial indictment. The federal judge overseeing the case in Fort Pierce, Fla., has set the trial to begin in May, though it is not uncommon for such schedules to be delayed to deal with pretrial disputes and issues.

"De Oliveira told [the employee] 'the boss' wanted the server deleted," the new indictment alleges. The employee "responded that he would not know how to do that, and that he did not believe he would have the rights to do that," the indictment adds.

Prosecutors claim that when the employee said a supervisor would need to be involved, De Oliveira repeated that "the boss" wanted the server deleted and De Oliveira then asked: "What are we going to do?"

The indictment indicates that De Oliveira spoke by phone and texted with Nauta, a longtime Trump aide who is also a defendant in the case, shortly after the exchange with the unnamed employee. De Oliveira and Nauta met in person just off the Mar-a-Lago grounds, and Trump called De Oliveira later that day, the indictment alleges. There is no indication of what was said in the phone calls.

Throughout this all, Trump keeps saying this is just a ploy by Democrats and Biden, without any proof. You know, like there was no proof of the vote being stolen...

[dogwalker]

He needs to try harder.  Still a few crimes he has not committed.

[HighStepper]

Four people involved in the obstruction of justice with the surveillance tapes, a conspiracy to destroy evidence. Three are charged. (Trump, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira) which could mean that one person is cooperating.

Trump allegedly showed the document that related to Iran attack plans in a taped July 2021 interview with biographers in Bedminster, New Jersey. Trump had previously denied that it was a classified document, but rather news clippings and magazines. Probably means that prosecutors have the actual document and witness to testify that it was shown to them.

[bats]

He needs to try harder.  Still a few crimes he has not committed.

Satire from today's New Yorker:

Trump Only a Few Indictments Away from Clinching G.O.P. Nomination

By Andy Borowitz
July 28, 2023

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—After the special counsel Jack Smith brought new charges against Donald J. Trump, political experts agreed that the former President is but a few indictments away from clinching the Republican nomination.

With felony counts in the double digits, Trump is well ahead of his closest rival, Ron DeSantis.

Harland Dorrinson, a prominent G.O.P. pollster, said that, "for today's Republican voter, felony counts confer instant credibility, and, by that measure, no other candidate comes close to Trump."

He added that the pressure is on DeSantis "to get indicted for something—and fast."

"There's a chance that he could be charged with human trafficking for transporting migrants from the Mexican border to Martha's Vineyard," Dorrinson said. "But that indictment might be too little, too late."

[Hobby]

Hilary got away with deleting emails so why cant trump?

Nothing was deleted and its he said so i dont know why smith would add this when it seems very weak... smith has enough evidence on trump to put him away for the rest of his life without bringing in ify allegations.   Talking about it is no crime , doing is...

[bladegunner]

right?

[bats]

Hilary got away with deleting emails so why cant trump?

Nothing was deleted and its he said so i dont know why smith would add this when it seems very weak... smith has enough evidence on trump to put him away for the rest of his life without bringing in ify allegations.  Talking about it is no crime , doing is...

Trump's case is nothing like Hillary's. The media is so focused on superficial soundbites that the nuance never seems to register, but if you take the time to look, it's there.

So, first, Hillary was never found to have intentionally done anything wrong. And it wasn't for lack of trying; the people looking for wrongdoing couldn't get there. This is public information that flies in the face of right-wing propaganda, but nobody seems to have the time to digest it.

As we all know by now, Trump is accused of intentionally withholding many highly sensitive national security documents. And he is alleged to have done so despite being legally compelled to return the documents.

Although Trump and Fox News et al. have claimed for years that Hillary deleted emails to avoid being caught in the same predicament that Trump finds himself in now, those claims are wholly unsupported by anything from the many investigations into Hillary's conduct. This, too, is public information, but few people can be bothered.

As for talking and not doing, yes, that's safe. But suppose you and another person talk about a crime, and then the other person does something. In that case, you're on the hook for the conspiracy even if you yourself didn't do anything other than talk about it and even if the scheme fails.

[bats]

right?

wrong

[HighStepper]

Hilary Clinton gave 11 hours of testimony before Congress.

The Trump Justice Department found no basis to indict Hilary Clinton.

[Hobby]

Hilary Clinton gave 11 hours of testimony before Congress.

The Trump Justice Department found no basis to indict Hilary Clinton.

That's because they all thought she would be POTUS, their boss. They didnt reach the conclusion of intent or should I say Comey didnt as the DOJ left it up to Comey... The DOJ liked Hilary and hates Trump, just about every decent good person Trump appointed figured out what Trump was all about, nothing good and quit.. Hilary obstructed justice and should have been held accountable but wasnt.  Doesnt mean the next person gets a free pass for failure of DOJ not to prosecute.

[bats]

That's because they all thought she would be POTUS, their boss. They didnt reach the conclusion of intent or should I say Comey didnt as the DOJ left it up to Comey... The DOJ liked Hilary and hates Trump, just about every decent good person Trump appointed figured out what Trump was all about, nothing good and quit.. Hilary obstructed justice and should have been held accountable but wasnt.  Doesnt mean the next person gets a free pass for failure of DOJ not to prosecute.

This idea that DOJ gave favorable treatment to Hillary is pure speculation and contradicted by the evidence. You can believe it if you wish, but it's not based on known facts.

Trump's claim that Hillary deleted emails after being subpoenaed distorts the truth. DOJ found that although that timeline is technically correct, a Clinton staffer deleted the emails after discovering that the request from Clinton's office to delete them (a request made well before any subpoena) hadn't been carried out.

You can read a detailed account of what happened:

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/oct/09/donald-trump/donald-trump-says-hillary-clinton-deleted-33000-em/

[Danno]

Comey liked Hillary so much he cost her the election.

[HighStepper]

Related thread:
https://fantasysaloon.com/index.php?msg=14757