Lawyers for co-defendants of former President Donald J. Trump argued in federal court in Florida to dismiss charges of aiding in the obstruction of efforts to recover classified documents. The co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, are accused of conspiring with Trump to hide boxes containing classified government materials after he left office. Prosecutors also claim they plotted to destroy security camera footage of the boxes being moved. Judge Aileen M. Cannon considered the defense lawyers’ arguments in a two-hour hearing but did not make a decision on whether the charges should be dismissed or set a trial date.
Nauta and De Oliveira, loyal Trump employees, face potential prison sentences of up to 20 years if convicted of the most serious offenses. Nauta, Trump’s personal aide and former military valet, is accused of moving 64 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago to Trump’s residence, just before a lawyer was supposed to review them in response to a subpoena. De Oliveira, a longtime Mar-a-Lago employee who became the property manager, is alleged to have assisted Nauta in moving 30 boxes back to the storage room on the day Trump’s lawyer arrived to review them.
The defense lawyers argued that their clients were unaware the boxes contained classified material and requested more detailed evidence than what was provided in the indictment. Judge Cannon stated that the details in the indictment were substantial and suggested that some arguments for dismissing the charges would be more appropriate for the jury to consider during the trial. Despite motions to dismiss charges ahead of a trial being seen as long shots, Judge Cannon, appointed by Trump in the final days of his presidency, has shown some support for his legal arguments.
Critics have raised concerns about Judge Cannon’s slow pace in handling routine issues on her docket and have questioned her experience, with just four years on the bench. Some also speculate whether she is favoring Trump in the case, as he praised her on social media as “respected” and “fair and impartial.” The trial for the former president’s New York case related to falsifying records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star during his 2016 campaign is set to begin soon and expected to last six to eight weeks. Despite the trial start date for the Florida case remaining on the docket, it is unlikely to begin that soon, with a new trial date not yet set.
