Former U.S. President Donald Trump.Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The details of the footage come in anewly unredacted version of a search warrant affidavitused in the Mar-a-Lago investigation.
The controversy surrounding Trump’s storage of potentially classified documents began shortly after he left office and returned to Mar-a-Lago; the National Archives and Records Administration inquired about missing records,ultimately retrieving 15 boxes of documentsthat Trump had brought to Mar-a-Lago.
In May 2022, the Justice Department issued a subpoena for additional records — and days later, boxes began to be moved out of a storage room at Mar-a-Lago, say investigators.
CNN reported thatinvestigators had obtained the security footagelast October, but the affidavit offers previously unreported details, including how security cameras captured a staffer moving boxes from a Mar-a-Lago storage room in late May and early June 2022.
On May 24, 2022, a staffer identified only as “Witness 5” can be seen leaving the room with three boxes, according to the affidavit.
“Video footage reflects that evidence has been moved recently,” prosecutors alleged in the affidavit. “It cannot be seen on the video footage where the boxes were moved when they were taken from the storage room area, and accordingly, the current location of the boxes that were removed from the storage room area but not returned to it is unknown.”
In June, Trump was indicted on 37 counts, 31 of which were counts of willful retention of national defense information (a violation of the Espionage Act). The other six include one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
His personal valet, Waltine “Walt” Nauta, wasindicted as a “co-conspirator” with the former presidentin the classified documents case. Nauta, a U.S. Navy veteran who reportedly met Trump whileworking in the White House mess hall, now works for the former president at Mar-a-Lago.
He was also reportedly caught on security footage moving boxes at the Palm Beach, Fla. property, just one day before the FBI executed its search warrant there last August.
Nauta is expected in court on Thursday.
source: people.com
