Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty (again) on Thursday, this time to new charges brought against him in his classified documents case related to alleged attempts to wipe Mar-a-Lago security footage. On top of the 37 counts Trump already faced in the original indictment, special counsel Jack Smith added three other charges, including one count of willful retention of national defense information and two counts of obstruction. Walt Nauta, Trump’s Diet Coke valet-turned-personal aide and alleged co-conspirator, also pleaded not guilty to the superseding indictment, which named Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos de Oliveira as a third defendant. De Oliveira has not entered a plea. While Trump was not present for the hearing before a Florida judge, his attorney Todd Blanche entered the not guilty plea on his behalf. The case is set to go to trial in May 2024—right in the middle of primary season.
