West Palm Beach, Florida – A U.S. District Judge in Florida has denied requests from two co-defendants of Donald Trump to dismiss charges against them in a case involving classified documents. The judge ruled that federal prosecutors have provided enough evidence for the obstruction counts, rejecting arguments from Trump employees Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira that the charges lacked sufficient basis.
The attorneys for Nauta and De Oliveira contended that the indictment did not clearly demonstrate that the two men were aware of an ongoing investigation or knew that the boxes of documents they were accused of obstructing contained classified materials. However, the judge stated that any lack of knowledge about Trump’s alleged intentions to conceal the boxes could be brought up as a defense during trial but not as a reason to dismiss the case.
Prosecutors have alleged that Nauta and De Oliveira misled investigators and conspired to delete security footage to prevent the retrieval of the boxes from Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s residence and club in Florida. Nauta, a current Trump aide, faces eight charges, while De Oliveira, the property manager at Mar-a-Lago, faces four charges. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The judge opted to hold a hearing to further discuss the motions to dismiss rather than ruling solely based on written arguments. During the hearing, she appeared skeptical of the co-defendants’ requests while questioning both sides about legal precedents and the evidence presented in the case.
Motions to dismiss are typically considered unlikely to succeed, with prosecutors arguing that the indictment contains detailed information and that additional specifics in a bill of particulars would be unnecessary. Judge Cannon concurred with the prosecutors, stating that the evidence provided to the co-defendants was sufficient for them to build their defense.
Trump himself has filed multiple motions to dismiss the case, with Nauta and De Oliveira joining in on some of them. The judge previously held a hearing on two of Trump’s motions, rejecting both, but has yet to rule on the others. The case continues to unfold as legal proceedings move forward in Florida.