Mar-a-Lago IT director flipped on Trump after dropping Trump-linked lawyer, special counsel says
A witness in the federal classified documents case against former President Donald Trump testified that Trump and two co-defendants tried to erase incriminating video footage, but only after he switched lawyers from one recommended by a Trump attorney and paid for by Trump's political action committee, special counsel Jack Smith's office said in a court filing Tuesday night.
The revised testimony from the witness, Mar-a-Lago IT director Yuscil Taveras — identified as Trump Employee. 4 — was used by Smith's office to add obstruction charges to the earlier indictment. The superseding indictment also added Mar-a-Lago facilities worker Carlos De Oliveira as a co-defendant, alongside Trump and his personal aide Waltine "Walt" Nauta.
The lawyer funded by Trump's Save America PAC, Stanley Woodward, also represents Nauta and other unnamed potential witnesses, the Justice Department said. The filing, to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida, argued that Woodward's representation of Nauta poses a potential conflict of interest. It also answered Cannon's question about why Smith's office had continued using a grand jury in Washington, D.C., alongside the one that indicted Trump in Florida: the D.C. grand jury, which ended in mid-August, was used to investigate the alleged false statements Taveras and Nauta both gave to D.C. grand jurors.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After the initial indictment, the filing said, Taveras was warned he could face prosecution for perjury. Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg informed Taveras he could be advised by a public defender, and on July 5, Taveras told Baosberg he was dropping Woodward and wanted to be represented by the public defender. "Immediately after receiving new counsel, Trump Employee 4 retracted his prior false testimony and provided information that implicated Nauta, De Oliveira, and Trump in efforts to delete security camera footage," the Justice Department said.
Trump, De Oliveira and Nauta have pleaded not guilty. The trial is scheduled to start in May.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Today's political cartoons - October 23, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - loving thy neighbour, an HR matter, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Giuliani must hand assets to women he defamed
Speed Read The former New York City mayor must turn over his apartment and other possessions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Giuliani must hand assets to women he defamed
Speed Read The former New York City mayor must turn over his apartment and other possessions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Labour risking the 'special relationship'?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer forced to deny Donald Trump's formal complaint that Labour staffers are 'interfering' to help Harris campaign
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Trump aims to be a fascist dictator, John Kelly says
Speed Read The retired general was Trump's chief of staff from 2017 to 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Life in a swing state
Opinion Why the election can't come soon enough
By Susan Caskie Published
-
Would Trump really use the military against Americans?
Talking Points The former president says troops could be used against 'enemy within'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Central Park 5 sue Trump for defamation
Speed Read The group was wrongfully convicted of raping a jogger in 1989
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Moldova backs joining EU in close vote marred by Russia
Speed Read The country's president was also pushed into a runoff election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump leans on tariffs to boost U.S. economy
The Explainer 'Tariff' is 'the most beautiful word in the dictionary,' says the former president
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published