Jul 28, 2023 - Politics & Policy

"These were my tapes": Trump pushes back on new charges in classified docs case

Erin Doherty

Former US President Donald Trump speaks at the Turning Point Action conference as he continues his 2024 presidential campaign on July 15, 2023 in West Palm Beach, Florida. — Former President Trump speaks at the Turning Point Action conference on July 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Former President Trump on Friday pushed back on the new criminal charges he is facing, a day after the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that he wanted to erase security footage investigators sought from his Florida home.

Driving the news: "These were my tapes that we gave to them. ... These were security tapes. We handed them over to them. ... I'm not even sure what they're saying," he said in an interview with conservative radio host John Fredericks.

The big picture: The DOJ on Thursday charged Trump, his aide Walt Nauta and a new defendant, Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos de Oliveira, with two new counts of obstruction of justice in the superseding indictment.

The DOJ alleges that the defendants asked the worker to "delete security camera footage at the Mar-a-Lago Club to prevent the footage from being provided to a federal grand jury," per the superseding indictment.

Trump, the frontrunner in the crowded 2024 Republican primary, also maintained that he would not end his presidential campaign if he is convicted and sentenced.

Trump has denied wrongdoing in the ongoing investigation.
The former president now faces 40 counts in the probe into his handling of classified documents.
The trial is scheduled for next May.

Go deeper: Trump's courtroom calendar clashes with 2024 campaign

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"These were my tapes": Trump pushes back on new charges in classified docs case

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