Lawyers representing two co-defendants of former President Donald Trump in a case involving classified documents have requested the dismissal of charges against them. Trump’s valet, Walt Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago property manager, Carlos De Oliveira, are accused of conspiring with Trump to obstruct an FBI investigation into the hoarding of classified documents at the former president’s Palm Beach estate. All three individuals have pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them.
During a hearing on Friday, lawyers for Nauta and De Oliveira requested U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to dismiss the charges they are facing, a request that was opposed by special counsel Jack Smith’s team, who brought the charges against them and Trump. The two aides of Trump are not charged with unlawfully storing the classified documents but with aiding Trump in obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. The prosecutors allege that Nauta relocated numerous boxes from a storage room at Mar-a-Lago to Trump’s residence in an attempt to prevent their return to the government.
It is claimed that Nauta and De Oliveira conspired with Trump to delete surveillance footage that captured the movement of the boxes and was being sought by the FBI. However, the defense attorneys for the two men have disputed these accusations. They argue that there is no evidence to suggest that Nauta or De Oliveira were aware that the boxes contained sensitive government records. Court filings from De Oliveira’s lawyers state that there is no allegation that he ever saw a classified document or was aware of their presence in the boxes he helped move on the property.
During the court hearing, a lawyer for Nauta, Stanley Woodward, highlighted that the only individual benefitting from these actions was former President Trump. Trump, who is the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican party, has filed multiple motions seeking to dismiss charges against him. Judge Cannon previously denied two motions that were argued last month, one asserting that the Espionage Act statute was unconstitutionally vague, and the other claiming that Trump was entitled to retain the classified files as his personal property under the Presidential Records Act after leaving the White House.
As the legal proceedings continue in the case involving classified documents and former President Trump, the defense lawyers for Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira are vigorously fighting to have the charges against their clients dismissed. Meanwhile, Trump himself has been seeking to have the charges against him thrown out. The judge presiding over the case has previously denied some of Trump’s motions but has yet to make a ruling on the recent dismissal request made by the co-defendants’ legal teams. The outcome of these legal battles will have significant implications for all parties involved in this high-profile case.
