• Special Counsel Jack Smith on Thursday brought new criminal counts against former President Trump in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, adding to the 37 counts he already faces in the investigation. Newsmax
• The superseding indictment charged Trump with attempting to “alter, destroy, mutilate or conceal evidence,” inducing someone else to do so, and a new count under the Espionage Act related to a classified national security document that he showed to visitors at his golf club in New Jersey. New York Times (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• It also embroiled a third defendant in the probe, adding charges against the Mar-a-Lago’s head of maintenance Carlos De Oliveira for allegedly helping Walt Nauta to move boxes of classified files after Trump was subpoenaed last May. Forbes (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• De Oliveira is also accused of conspiring with Nauta, who received two additional charges of obstruction in the revised indictment, to delete footage from security cameras — which prosecutors claim shows illegally-held documents being moved. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• Smith’s office announced the new indictment just hours after Trump’s legal team met with prosecutors to prevent possible federal criminal charges related to election interference in 2020 and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Wall Street Journal (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• Donald Trump accused Smith and the US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) of charging and investigating him to harm his chances of winning the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and defeating Pres. Biden. CNBC (LR: 3 CP: 5)

Anti-Trump narrative:

• This case against Trump has just got stronger after the superseding indictment charged the former president not only with failing to return the files and obstruction of justice but also for a presentation concerning military activity in a foreign country, allegedly Iran. Additionally, it adds a wealth of evidence of Trump’s obstructing efforts and a third defendant who’s a strong candidate for flipping. The walls are closing in on the former president.
  Washington Post (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Pro-Trump narrative:

• It’s outrageous how politicized the DOJ has become under Biden, with these bogus charges further revealing that they are desperately harassing Trump and those around him as the former president is leading several polls for the White House in 2024 by a wide margin. Though Smith doesn’t have a case, his illegal witch hunt against Trump is at full throttle to get someone else to run against the otherwise lame-duck Biden.
  FOX News (LR: 4 CP: 4)

Nerd narrative:

• There’s a 50% chance that the federal criminal trial of Donald Trump’s classified documents case will begin by May 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  Metaculus (LR: 3 CP: 3)