Former President of the United States, Donald Trump, is facing a new indictment in connection with a plot to delete security footage at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump is facing a trial scheduled for May 20, 2024, in the classified documents case – one of several criminal cases stemming from his time in the Oval Office.
Trump, along with two others, presented to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and were charged in connection with the criminal activity, according to federal prosecutors. The other two people accused are the president’s former valet, Walt Nauta, and Carlos De Oliveira. With the recent indictment, a trial is now scheduled to begin in Florida more than two years from now.
An unnamed employee of the former president, referred to as "Trump Employee 4" in court documents from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office, was initially called to present before a D.C. grand jury in March of 2023. However, after the employee sought legal representation from the federal defender’s office, they were advised they were a “target of the investigation” and provided the Justice Department with substantive information that helped form the basis of the revised indictment against Trump, Nauta, and De Oliveira.
The prosecution wrote in the filing that “advising Trump Employee 4 to correct his sworn testimony would result in testimony incriminating Mr. Woodward's other client, Nauta; but permitting Trump Employee 4's false testimony to stand uncorrected would leave Trump Employee 4 exposed to criminal charges for perjury.”
Although the D.C. grand jury has ended, the case will move forward in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, as the prosecution seeks a hearing in Florida concerning potential conflicts of interest involving the defense lawyer, Stanley Woodward. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
It is important to note that the new indictment is only one among several prosecutions that Trump is currently facing from the Special Counsel and other jurisdictions. Trump is also facing a criminal case in Georgia regarding attempts to subvert that state’s vote and another in New York with regard to the hush money payments to a porn actor.
All in all, when the case moves forward to trial in Florida, Trump and the other two accused will likely face severe consequences if found guilty of the charges.