Brian Butler, a 20-year Mar-a-Lago employee and key witness in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, has come forward in a public interview with CNN.
Previously identified only as “Trump Employee 5” in the federal indictment brought by special counsel Jack Smith, Butler disclosed new details about his involvement in the alleged cover-up and the movement of sensitive records, as reported by Insider on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Trump is facing dozens of felony counts related to allegations of mishandling national defense information and purposefully withholding classified documents.
Walt Nauta, a close Trump aide, faces six counts, including obstruction and concealment, while Carlos de Oliveira, the property manager at Mar-a-Lago, is charged with four counts.
Butler, who had cooperated with federal investigators during the case preparation, revealed that he unknowingly helped Trump staffers move 10-15 boxes of records on June 3, 2022, under Nauta’s direction.
This revelation, made in a primetime CNN interview, offers additional details not previously included in the indictment and sheds light on the timeline of events surrounding the alleged cover-up.
Legal experts, including Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, expressed concerns about the implications of Butler’s public disclosure.
Rahmani highlighted that such public statements from cooperating witnesses could introduce inconsistencies in their testimony, potentially providing the defense with ammunition during cross-examination or trial preparation.
“This is much closer to what his testimony at a trial would be,” Rahmani commented on Butler’s interview, emphasizing that such disclosures are typically reserved for trial proceedings.
Despite potential risks, Butler decided to go public with his name, a move Rahmani deemed surprising given the intense scrutiny faced by individuals associated with Trump’s legal troubles.
The legal team, judges, and jurors in Trump’s other cases have experienced various forms of harassment, ranging from online threats to vitriol.
Butler explained to CNN that he had contemplated going public for months and decided to speak out to share his side of the story with American voters ahead of the November election. However, the likelihood of the case going to trial before the election appears increasingly slim.
US District Judge Aileen Cannon is scheduled to hear arguments on two of Trump’s motions to dismiss the case, while the Supreme Court is set to decide whether Trump can claim presidential immunity in the federal election interference case.
These developments could significantly impact the trajectory of Trump’s legal challenges.
As of now, a representative for Trump has not responded to Business Insider’s request for comment, leaving the public to await the unfolding legal proceedings and the potential impact of Butler’s revelations on the case against the former president.
