A longtime Mar-a-Lago employee is going public with his recollection of events leading up to the FBI's search of former President Donald Trump's Florida residence over his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
In an interview, Brian Butler said he helped Trump aide Walt Nauta load about 10 to 15 boxes onto Trump's plane at the West Palm Beach airport near his resort in June 2022 while Trump and his lawyers were meeting with representatives from the Justice Department about unreturned classified material.
Former Trump Worker Speaks Out About Mar-a-Lago Documents
Butler, whom CNN identified as "Trump Employee 5" in an indictment submitted by special counsel Jack Smith, claimed that the boxes were the white banker's boxes in the indictment, referring to photos in a federal indictment.
On Monday, Butler, who told CNN that he had worked at Trump's Florida resort for two decades, turned down a request for comment. Butler is identified in the indictment as "Trump Employee 5," but NBC News has not independently confirmed his identity.
In the interview, he said he had no idea the boxes included possibly secret documents.
"I had no clue. I mean, we were just taking them out of the Escalade, piling them up," Butler told CNN, adding that he told federal investigators about the movement of boxes. "I remember they were all stacked on each other, and then we're lifting them to the pilots."
Butler deliberated for months about making the case public before deciding that anyone with reservations should be informed of the case's details. CNN said Butler resigned as manager and club valet at Mar-a-Lago three months after the FBI search, partly because of a desire to move on.
According to the indictment, in June 2022, Carlos De Oliveira, the maintenance supervisor at Mar-a-Lago, allegedly urged "Trump Employee 5" not to tell anyone about a trip by Nauta because Nauta wanted the trip to remain secret.
The indictment also claimed that De Oliveira told the employee that Nauta wanted De Oliveira to talk to "Trump Employee 4" to see how long camera footage was stored.
NBC News identified Yuscil Taveras as "Employee 4," the superseding indictment suggests that Taveras might be assisting the prosecution. De Oliveira allegedly informed Taveras that 'the boss' wanted the server deleted.
In the superseding indictment, Trump was charged with participating in a plot to remove Mar-a-Lago security footage.
Neither De Oliveira's legal team nor the Trump campaign immediately answered requests for comment on Monday about Butler's interview. Smith, the special counsel, and Nauta's legal team declined to comment.
De Oliveira's attorney said they look forward to hearing more about Butler's version of events when he is under oath and subject to penalty of perjury in the courtroom where that belongs.
Trump, Co-Defendants Enter Not Guilty Pleas
Trump and his co-defendants, Nauta and De Oliveira, were charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice. Trump's charges include willful retention of national defense information.
In August 2022, the indictment was based in part on classified documents that were discovered when FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago.
Trump, Nauta, and De Oliveira have all pleaded not guilty. In this case, the presiding judge originally scheduled the trial to begin on May 20, but a postponement is expected.
Special Counsel Robert Hur is scheduled to testify on Tuesday before a Republican-led House panel in a separate classified documents probe. Hur decided not to press charges against Biden for handling classified material last month.
