In a recent interview on CNN, Brian Butler, a former Mar-a-Lago staffer who has had a close relationship with the former president since 2002, decided to reveal his identity as the government witness previously referred to as “Trump Employee 5”. Butler made this decision because he believed that the judge in the case would likely disclose the identities of witnesses regardless.
During the court proceedings on March 1, ABC’s Katherine Faulders observed the events in U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s courtroom. Special counsel Jack Smith argued that Judge Cannon had made a “clear error” by not considering the heightened First Amendment standard. Smith believed that he had provided enough factual and legal basis to warrant a deviation from the presumption of public access to the records in question. Faulders noticed that Smith seemed visibly shocked when the judge hinted at naming numerous government witnesses, even with the potential risks to witness safety and the possibility of an appeal from the Special Counsel’s Office.
At one point Judge Cannon asked the special counsel when they would be willing to publish the witness list. Jack Smith looked visibly shocked by the prospect of that list becoming public. Harbach said now is not the time for witness identities to be public https://t.co/IOgl4E7eW2
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) March 1, 2024
Smith’s surprise was not an isolated incident.
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“It’s been nearly a year since FBI agents came to my house while my wife was there. Emotionally, it has been quite a roller coaster over the past year. Just a few weeks ago, Judge Cannon announced that she would release the names of the witnesses,” shared Brian Butler, the former Mar-a-Lago employee, in a candid conversation with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Butler described the anticipation and uncertainty he experienced, saying, “You go through a series of ups and downs in situations like this.”
According to a former employee of Trump, known as Employee 5, he chose to publicly voice his concerns ahead of any government witness naming. He believed that taking proactive action was better than staying silent and waiting for the judge to rule against the special counsel. Employee 5 feared that if he did nothing, people would simply dismiss him as “crazy.”
Collins: Why are you speaking out publicly with your story now?
Butler: It's been a roller coaster, a couple of weeks ago with Judge Cannon says she's going to release the names of the witnesses… pic.twitter.com/dClLpbNNYK
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 12, 2024
“But instead of simply waiting for it to be revealed on its own, I believe it’s best that I have the opportunity to explain what happened, rather than having it spread through the media and people thinking I’m crazy,” Butler expressed. “I’d prefer to share the truth openly and hopefully be able to move forward in my life and overcome this.”
The July 2023 superseding indictment against Trump, valet Walt Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira made a reference to Trump Employee 5’s role in the prosecution right from the start. Although Butler mentioned that De Oliveira used to be one of his “best friends,” he also revealed that they no longer communicate. According to the indictment, on June 25, 2022, De Oliveira informed Butler about Nauta’s secret trip from Bedminster, N.J. to Mar-a-Lago, but requested him to keep the details about the camera footage confidential.
According to the indictment, DE OLIVEIRA informed Trump Employee 5 that NAUTA wanted to have a conversation with Trump Employee 4 regarding the duration for which camera footage was stored. Later that evening, NAUTA arrived in Palm Beach and met with DE OLIVEIRA at The Mar-a-Lago Club at 5:46 p.m. Together, they visited the security guard booth where surveillance video is monitored and used a flashlight to navigate through the tunnel leading to the Storage Room. During the visit, they observed and identified various surveillance cameras.
De Oliveira allegedly informed another employee, referred to as “Trump Employee 4,” two days later that the server containing the video footage was to be deleted as per the boss’s instructions.
In a later section of the indictment, the documents mentioned the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago in August 2022 and once again referred to Trump Employee 5.
According to the indictment, approximately two weeks after classified documents were found in the Storage Room and TRUMP’s office, NAUTA contacted Trump Employee 5 on August 26, 2022. NAUTA expressed concerns about Carlos’s well-being, to which Trump Employee 5 reassured NAUTA that Carlos was loyal and would not jeopardize his relationship with TRUMP.
On that very day, NAUTA asked for it, and Trump Employee 5 affirmed their loyalty to DE OLIVEIRA in a Signal chat group with NAUTA and the PAC Representative. Trump also personally called DE OLIVEIRA and assured them that he would arrange for legal representation.
During an interview on CNN, Butler recalled being approached by Nauta in early June 2022 to assist in loading boxes of documents bound for New Jersey. According to Butler, this request was unusual, especially considering that Nauta was not typically responsible for handling luggage.
Butler recalled loading the white bankers boxes that were mentioned in the indictment. He admitted that at the time, he was unaware that these boxes contained the classified documents. It was only with the benefit of hindsight that he realized their significance.
‘Trump Employee 5’ Claims Shocking Revelation in Court Inspired Him to Speak Out and Reveal His Identity for the First Time
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