The revised indictment accusing Donald Trump of new crimes over his handling of classified records paints a picture of an elaborate attempt at a coverup.
(Bloomberg) — The revised indictment accusing Donald Trump of new crimes over his handling of classified records paints a picture of an elaborate attempt at a coverup.
In it, the US cites a plan to conceal from investigators the way Trump allegedly hid and moved boxes of White House files before they could be searched under a grand jury subpoena.
The new indictment, filed Thursday, pieces together text messages, phone calls, interviews and video footage to claim that Trump hatched the plan with two trusted employees at his Mar-a-Lago estate last summer. Prosecutors say they tried to secretly delete surveillance recordings that would expose the movement of the boxes, many of which contained top-secret documents sought by the government.
Evidence of the alleged attempt at deletion was used by Special Counsel Jack Smith to add further obstruction charges against Trump and co-defendant Waltine “Walt” Nauta, his valet, both of whom were initially charged last month in a 38-count indictment. The US charged for the first time Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos de Oliveira over the role it says he played in the effort.
Read More: Trump Faces New Charges Over Footage in Mar-a-Lago Probe
A spokesperson for Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, said Thursday the new charges were part of a continued partisan effort to harass his client. A lawyer for Nauta declined to comment. De Oliveira’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here’s what happened last year, according to the government.
The Boxes
May 11, 2022 — A federal grand jury issues a subpoena for the return of White House documents with classified markings in Trump’s possession.
May 23 — Trump’s lawyers tell him they need to search for the documents. One of them takes detailed notes, showing the former president saying he doesn’t “want anybody looking” and asking if they could just ignore the subpoena or simply tell the government “we don’t have anything here.”
May 24 – June 1 — Trump, forced to accept a search by his lawyer, directs Nauta to move 64 boxes from the storage room to Trump’s residence in the days before it takes place. Nauta and De Oliveira move about 30 boxes back to the storage room one day before the search. Trump’s lawyer is kept in the dark about the moves.
June 2 — Trump’s attorney searches the boxes in the storage room and finds 38 relevant documents, which he put in a folder to return to the Justice Department. The next day a Trump lawyer who wasn’t involved in the search certifies that it had been conducted diligently, even though boxes removed from the storage room were never searched.
The Footage
June 3 — Federal Bureau of Investigation agents who collect the classified documents found by Trump’s lawyer discover the existence of surveillance cameras near the storage room.
June 22 — Trump’s lawyer is told by the Justice Department that the government is planning to subpoena all video footage from the estate, including the basement where the storage room is located. The next day, Trump calls De Oliveira and speaks to him for 24 minutes.
Read More: Trump, DOJ Spar Over Where He Can Talk About Classified Evidence
June 24 — After Trump’s lawyers receive the subpoena and discusses it with Trump, Nauta gets a text message from a co-worker saying Trump wants to see him. Less than two hours later, Nauta cancels a plan to travel with Trump to Illinois the next day and instead books a trip to Palm Beach. Nauta gives colleagues “inconsistent explanations” for the sudden change, telling a Secret Service agent that he needs to check on a family member.
- 5:02 p.m. — Nauta texts Mar-a-Lago’s director of information technology, asking: “Hey bro you around this weekend”
- 5:05 p.m. — Nauta texts De Oliveira asking: “Hey brother You working today?” After De Oliveira confirms he’s working, Nauta calls him and they speak for two minutes.
- 6:58 p.m. — The Mar-a-Lago IT director responds, saying he’s around if Nauta needs him. Nauta responds: “Sounds good!! Thank you.”
June 25 — De Oliveira instructs a valet not to tell anyone that Nauta is coming, because Nauta “wanted the trip to remain secret.” He tells the valet that Nauta plans to find out “how long camera footage was stored.” When Nauta arrives, he and De Oliveira go to a security guard booth where video is displayed, then walk with a flashlight through a tunnel where the storage room is located “and observed and pointed out surveillance cameras.”
QuickTake: What Trump’s Many Legal Perils Mean for His 2024 Bid
June 27 — It’s Monday, and De Oliveira goes to the IT office to ask the IT director to step outside and talk.
- 9:49 a.m. — De Oliveira takes the IT director to a small “audio closet” near a ballroom and says their conversation “should remain between the two of them.” De Oliveira asks about video storage and is advised that such footage is kept on a server for about 45 days. He says “the boss” wants it deleted. The IT director says he can’t do that and advises De Oliveira to speak to a security supervisor at the Trump Organization instead.
- 10:14 a.m. — De Oliveira texts Nauta, who is still in Florida, and then speaks to him on the phone for about one minute.
- 1:06 p.m. — Nauta texts De Oliveira at Mar-a-Lago to say he’s on his way.
- 1:31 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. — De Oliveira walks through the bushes at the northern edge of the property to meet with Nauta on an adjacent property. He then goes back to the IT office and then back through the bushes to meet again with Nauta.
- 3:55 p.m. — Trump calls De Oliveira and they speak for about 3 1/2 minutes.
The Bust
July — The FBI and grand jury obtain and review the surveillance footage showing the movement of the boxes. The footage is used to help secure an unprecedented search warrant for Mar-a-Lago.
Aug. 8 — FBI agents execute the warrant and seize 102 documents with classified markings.
Aug. 25 — After a Trump employee confirms in a Signal chat with Nauta that De Oliveira is “loyal,” Trump calls De Oliveira to tell him that he will get him a lawyer.
June 8, 2023 — Trump’s indictment in the documents case becomes public.
The case is US v. Trump, 23-cr-80101, US District Court, Southern District of Florida.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.