Former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Friday, August 5, to additional charges in a case involving his negligent handling of classified documents.

On Thursday, the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential candidate had already pleaded guilty in a Washington court to another case: the one in which he is accused of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election won by his rival. , Joe Biden. .

But this time, in the case of the classified records, Mr. Trump did not budge. In a written statement to the competent court, he stated that he pleaded not guilty to the new charges against him and refused to appear for the official presentation of the charges against him, which was scheduled for August 10.

In a court document released July 27, federal prosecutors accuse him of trying to delete surveillance footage that was of interest to investigators. Mr Trump and two of his aides, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, are accused of soliciting an employee at his luxury Florida residence “remove CCTV images from the Mar-a-Lago Club to prevent the transfer of these images” to justice.

Accused of endangering the security of the United States

The American billionaire had already pleaded guilty in June to the charges against him in the federal case, which will be tried in May 2024 in Florida. He previously faced thirty-seven charges, including “illegal possession of information related to national security,” “obstruction of justice,” and “perjury” in the case. His two assistants have also been prosecuted.

The former president is accused of compromising US security by keeping classified documents after he leaves the White House in January 2021, including military plans and information on nuclear weapons, at his Florida residence instead of handing them over to the National Administration. Archive according to the requirements of the law. Another law on espionage prohibits keeping state secrets in unauthorized and unsecured places.