Donald Trump’s collaborator, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty this Thursday, August 10, before a US federal court in relation to recent charges filed at the end of July. Nauta was being investigated for the manipulation of the confidential files that the former president had in his possession. Both Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira, the administrator of Trump’s Florida residence, face charges for their alleged role in deleting surveillance footage.
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Walt Nauta, a collaborator of Donald Trump, presented his plea of not guilty this Thursday before a federal court in the United States. Both he and Carlos De Oliveira, the manager of Trump’s Florida property, face charges in connection with the case of confidential White House documents, an investigation that also implicates the former president.
The accusation maintains that both individuals would have removed video surveillance images that could compromise Trump’s position, which in turn would be an attempt to hinder the investigation into the Republican leader.
The two former employees of the former president appeared in court this Thursday. Only Nauta was able to express his declaration of innocence during the hearing. For his part, De Oliveira, even without a local lawyer appointed, will postpone his decision of guilt or innocence for a later hearing.
Trump was already facing charges related to the case of confidential White House documents that he would have withheld after the end of his term, an action that violates US law that stipulates that presidents must return the material at the end of their term. However, the US Attorney’s Office expanded the charges against him on Thursday, alleging that he was the one who asked his aides to suppress surveillance footage of interest to investigators.
“An act of meddling in the electoral process”
The fresh allegations revealed this Thursday have been flatly dismissed by Trump on the ‘Fox News’ channel. The ex-president described them as “absurd”, reiterating once again his accusations against current President Joe Biden as the alleged person behind the federal investigation.
“This is an act of interference in the electoral process,” he said. “If we didn’t have an overwhelming lead over Biden in numerous polls (…), this simply wouldn’t be happening,” she emphasized.
Trump faces a total of more than 37 indictmentswhich include charges such as “improper withholding of national security information”, “obstruction of justice” and “perjury”, to which he pleaded not guilty in a Miami federal court in mid-June.
More specifically, he is accused of allegedly endangering the security of the United States. He is alleged to have retained the documents at his Florida property after his departure from the White House in January 2021, including military plans and details on nuclear weapons, instead of complying with the obligation to turn them over to the National Archives, as prescribed. the law.
In parallel, other legislation comes into play: the Espionage Law prohibits keeping state secrets in unauthorized and unsecured places.
His trial is scheduled for May 20, 2024, in the middle of the Republican race for the presidential candidacy. Meanwhile, he remains firmly the top contender in the Republican primary. The latest New York Times/Siena pollreleased on Monday, grants you 54% support among the voters, leaving behind to the 17% who back his main opponent, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
A variety of legal disputes
Trump is adamant that not even a conviction could shake his campaign. However, the former president faces a deck of legal processes against him of a different nature.
In August, a Georgia prosecutor is preparing to announce the results of her investigation, focused on pressure allegedly exerted by the Republican leader to alter the results of the 2020 presidential elections in the south of the country.
Likewise, the tycoon faces a federal trial by special prosecutor Jack Smith, focused on his alleged attempt to annul the results of the 2020 elections.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump released a statement Monday hinting at expectations of facing charges at any time, accusing “the erratic Jack Smith and his notoriously biased gang.” In his opinion, the purpose of this move would be to “meddle in the elections” with the aim of marginalizing him from the fight for the White House.
On July 18, Trump reported receiving a letter from Jack Smith, informing him that he was under the scrutiny of a federal investigation, linked to his attempts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election and his role in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. At this juncture, he could face charges of conspiracy against the US State, obstruction of official processes and deprivation of rights. This federal accusation would be added to those related to the White House archives and to that of the State of New York for alleged payments to a former pornographic actress.
Trump’s problems seem to be the order of the day. Just this Thursday, the former president filed an appeal against the ruling that dismissed his lawsuit against the writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape. Trump had been sanctioned on May 9 by a jury in a New York civil court for sexual assault, although not rape, in relation to the former columnist. As a consequence of this ruling, he has been ordered to pay five million dollars as compensation for damages.
With AFP, EFE and Reuters
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