For co-defendants in Trump classified documents case, not-guilty pleas and a delay

Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Two co-defendants in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump appeared in federal court Thursday in Fort Pierce, Fla., but only one entered a plea while the other had his arraignment delayed.

Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, the newest co-conspirators in Trump's federal case in which the ex-president is accused of mishandling secret documents and obstructing efforts to get them returned, saw different outcomes.

De Oliveira, the property manager at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, saw his arraignment delayed for a second time because he still has not retained a lawyer in Florida. His arraignment was scheduled until Aug. 15. Nauta entered not-guilty pleas to new charges against him and Trump.

In June, Trump appeared before a federal magistrate in Miami, where he pleaded not guilty to 37 counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified materials.

Later the same month, Nauta also pleaded not guilty in the same federal courtroom to six criminal counts, including conspiracy to commit obstruction and making false statements to the FBI in January when he denied any role in moving the trove of covert documents.

On July 27, the grand jury issued a superseding indictment that leveled several new charges at Trump and Nauta, while prosecutors named De Oliveira for the first time, accusing him of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

In August 2022, more than 100 secret papers were seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., after numerous boxes of documents were taken from the White House during Trump's final days as president.

Federal prosecutors allege Nauta helped Trump hide boxes containing classified information from investigators who wanted them returned to Washington after Trump disregarded a May 2022 subpoena.

De Oliveira was referenced but not named in the original indictment as one of the "others" who loaded boxes of the documents onto a plane that flew Trump and his family north for the summer.

As part of the alleged coverup, Trump, Nauta and De Oliveira conspired "to delete surveillance footage at the Mar-a-Lago Club," the government said in court documents.

The new indictment alleges that De Oliveira -- who worked as the property manager of Trump's Florida estate -- helped Nauta move dozens of boxes of classified materials into a storage unit at Trump's behest "to conceal information from the FBI and grand jury."

Trump, who is the first president to be indicted on federal criminal charges, continues to deny any wrongdoing in the case, saying previously that he had the power as president to "automatically" declassify top secret papers.

Separately, the special counsel has also brought charges against Trump over his failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.