Former president Donald Trump, and his valet, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty to new charges in the federal classified documents case. Although Trump did not appear at the courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida, Nauta entered his plea in person before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shaniek Maynard. Todd Blanche, the former president’s attorney, entered the not-guilty plea on Trump’s behalf.
Trump told the judge last week that he intended to plead not guilty and waived his right to appear at the hearing in person, per Fox News. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property manager, Carlos De Oliveira, was also present at the Thursday hearing. Both De Oliveira and Nauta pled not guilty to a superseding indictment brought forth by Special Counsel Jack Smith alleging that they directly planned with Trump to erase surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago before investigators could view it.
According to prosecutors, Nauta shifted boxes of classified documents so that Trump’s lawyers would be unable to find them — leading them to falsely tell federal investigators that Mar-a-Lago had already been searched. On July 27, Smith filed a superseding indictment against Trump and Nauta. That indictment contained three counts against Trump and two against Nauta. Two of the three charges against Trump could lead the former president behind bars for up to 40 years.
Prior to the superseding indictment, Smith indicted Trump on 37 counts of mishandling and illegally stashing classified documents. He also indicted Nauta on six counts of having helped Trump in his actions.
De Oliveira was also supposed to enter his plea at the Thursday hearing, but his arraignment was postponed because he has yet to hire an attorney to represent him. The property manager was indicted on four counts that he helped move boxes of classified documents and also engaged in the deleting of surveillance footage at Mar-a-Lago. Last week, he made his first appearance in court and was released on a $100,000 bond.
This is the third indictment against Trump, who seeks to make a comeback to the White House in 2024. The former president has pled not guilty to most, if not all, of the indictments that he faces. He has pledged to “come after” those who are going after him. “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” Trump wrote on Truth Social in all-caps, upon returning from his arraignment in Washington D.C., stemming from charges that the former president was responsible for the Capitol protests of Jan. 6, 2021, and that he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
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