Donald Trump and two of his employees were indicted on criminal charges related to an alleged attempt to delete surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago that had been subpoenaed by the Justice Department. According to the new indictment, Trump instructed Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira to find out how long the security footage was stored and to delete it.
The indictment also alleges that Trump's valet, Walt Nauta, traveled to Mar-a-Lago on Trump's orders and pointed out security cameras to De Oliveira. The indictment states that De Oliveira asked the IT director at Mar-a-Lago to delete the footage, saying "the boss wanted the server deleted."
Trump, De Oliveira, and Nauta have all been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and attempting to violate laws against destroying evidence. De Oliveira was also charged with making false statements to the FBI for denying his involvement in moving boxes at Mar-a-Lago.
In this YouTube video, the Legal Eagle lawyer says the new indictment presents a strong case against Trump based on the evidence, that the charges are serious felonies with potentially severe consequences, and that Trump's failure to cooperate and alleged attempts to cover up evidence only made the case against him worse.
Key takeaways:
- The charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and attempting to destroy evidence in an official proceeding are serious felonies that carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison.
- The additional charge for unlawful retention of national defense information related to the document Trump showed at Bedminster indicates prosecutors have obtained that document and further evidence to support the charge.
- The indictment of De Oliveira for making false statements to the FBI shows that cooperating with investigators could have potentially mitigated his charges.
- The alleged flooding of the room where surveillance logs were stored after the initial search warrant suggests Trump's team may have been deliberately trying to cover up or destroy evidence.
