Trump accused of asking staffer to delete camera footage in Florida classified documents case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is facing accusations that he and aides asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in an effort to obstruct the classified documents investigations.

The allegations were made Thursday in an updated grand jury indictment that adds new charges against Trump and adds another defendant to the case.

A Trump spokesperson dismissed the new charges as “nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt” by the Biden administration “to harass President Trump and those around him” and to influence the 2024 presidential race.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A third defendant has been charged alongside former President Donald Trump and his valet in the classified documents case in Florida, court records show.

The charges against the individual, identified on the court docket as Carlos De Oliveira, were not immediately revealed Thursday.

Trump and valet Walt Nauta were charged last month by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith in a 38-count indictment with conspiring to hide classified documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, from government investigators who were demanding them back.

The records were taken by Trump to the Palm Beach complex after he left the White House in January 2021.

Both men have pleaded not guilty.