Former President Donald Trump Facing New Charges in Connection with Post-Presidency Handling of Classified Documents

Former President Donald Trump is facing new charges in connection with his post-presidency handling of classified documents after the special counsel filed a new indictment Thursday. The indictment allege that Trump was part of a scheme to delete surveillance footage, and that a newly charged defendant —who was identified as a property manager at Mar-a-Lago — told another employee that “the boss” wanted the server deleted.

Special Counsel Jack Smith brought charges against an additional Mar-a-Lago employee on Thursday, bringing the number of those charged in Trump’s alleged attempt to retain national security records to three. They include charges of corruptly altering or destroying a record and altering or destroying an object.

The new defendant is Carlos De Oliveira, a Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker. Smith is bringing charges of false statements against De Oliveira, and is bringing new charges against co-defendant Walt Nauta and Trump. Court documents say that De Oliveira denied that he was involved in moving boxes.

The new allegations add yet another level of ham-fistedness to an already bizarre situation. De Oliveira also faces a charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice, which Trump and Nauta also face.

The indictment is the latest development in the ongoing investigation into Trump’s post-presidency activities. It is unclear what the outcome of the case will be, but it is clear that the special counsel is taking the allegations seriously.