Trump classified documents case takes new turn as third man charged by special counsel

The Trump Mar-a-Lago classified documents case took a dramatic turn as a third person, Carlos De Oliveira, was charged by special counsel Jack Smith. 

Former President Donald Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta, are already facing charges from last month and have pleaded not guilty. 

De Oliveira, a maintenance worker, is accused of helping Nauta move boxes of secret papers at Mar-a-Lago after the Justice Department asked for the documents in May. Surveillance footage provided to the Justice Department showed Nauta and De Oliveira moving boxes around the resort just before Trump’s lawyer, Evan Corcoran, searched for the classified documents. The Justice Department believes more than 100 government records were hidden and taken from the storage room at Mar-a-Lago.

According to court files, Carlos De Oliveira, a worker at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, has been accused by special counsel Jack Smith in connection with the classified documents case. Last month, former President Donald Trump and his assistant, Walt Nauta, faced similar charges and both pleaded not guilty. 

De Oliveira is alleged to have assisted Nauta in moving boxes containing secret documents at Mar-a-Lago after the Justice Department requested them in May. Surveillance footage, which was given to the Justice Department, captured Nauta and De Oliveira moving boxes around the resort, including a storage room, just before Trump’s lawyer, Evan Corcoran, conducted a search for the classified documents. 

The Justice Department suspects that more than 100 government records were concealed and removed from the storage room at Mar-a-Lago.

In August, the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago and retrieved additional classified documents from both the storage room and Trump’s office. The Justice Department later stated in court that it believes “government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room.”

Carlos De Oliveira has already spoken to investigators, and his phone has been taken for further examination. CNN attempted to reach De Oliveira’s attorney for comment but received no response.

A spokesperson for Trump issued a statement dismissing the charges as “nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their Department of Justice to harass President Trump and those around him.”

The ongoing investigation has cast a shadow on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, and with a third person now charged, the case continues to draw attention and raise questions about the handling of classified documents at the resort.