Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira entered his not guilty plea Tuesday in special counsel Jack Smith’s case against former President Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents.
De Oliveira has been alleged to have worked with Trump and aide Walt Nauta and talked about deleting security footage at the winter home of Trump, where the former president retained boxes of documents from his time in the White House.
An attorney for De Oliveira entered the plea on his behalf during a brief hearing in the Fort Pierce, Florida, federal court after two prior appearances had De Oliveira’s arraignment postponed because he had not yet retained a Florida-based attorney.
De Oliveira spoke only to answer the magistrate judge’s questions, such as whether he understood the charges against him. De Oliveira and his new attorney, Donnie Murrell of West Palm Beach, left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.
Trump and Nauta have also pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The criminal case is one of several Trump faces as he mounts a campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Trump, who was indicted Monday in Georgia on criminal charges, decries the probes as politically motivated.
Trump pleaded not guilty to dozens of counts during a June arraignment. They included unauthorized retention of national defense information, obstruction of justice, and making false statements.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used to compile this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack is a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016, starting on the first night of the Republican National Convention. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate, and a former New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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