Donald Trump’s adviser Walt Nauta on Thursday pleaded not guilty in a US federal court to the additional charges filed against him in late July in the former president’s alleged negligent handling of confidential documents.
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Donald Trump is accused of endangering the security of the United States by keeping confidential documents, including military plans or information about nuclear weapons, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after leaving the White House in January 2021, which is prohibited by law mandatory submission to the National Archives.
Both were charged in this case in June in a federal court in Florida, where they will be tried from May 2024.
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In a court document released July 27, federal prosecutors allege Mr. Trump, with the help of Mr. Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira, the manager of Mar-A-Lago, attempted to erase CCTV images that were of interest to investigators.
The latter two both appeared on Thursday, but only Mr Nauta was able to plead not guilty during a hearing that lasted about 10 minutes. Mr de Oliveira, who does not yet have a lawyer on site, will plead guilty or not guilty at an upcoming hearing.
In a written statement to the court last week, Donald Trump indicated that he pleaded not guilty to these new charges and declined to appear on Thursday.
He is the target of about forty counts, including in this case “illegal storage of information related to national security,” “obstruction of justice,” and “false testimony.”
The ex-president is particularly prosecuted under an espionage law that prohibits the keeping of state secrets in unauthorized and unsecured locations.