Mar-a-Lago Tech Director Retracts Testimony, Reportedly Implicates Trump In Obstruction of Justice
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Yuscil Taveras, who worked as the IT director at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, reportedly retracted his court testimony from the retention of government documents case and implicated Trump in obstruction of justice after dumping his Trump PAC-funded lawyer, according to a new court filing.
According to the filing, “Trump Employee 4” — identified as Taveras in several news reports — was informed in June that he was the subject of a perjury investigation, before being offered a lawyer from the Federal Public Defender’s Office to replace his Trump PAC-funded attorney, Stanley Woodward, who was also representing Trump’s valet Walt Nauta.
On July 5, Taveras then “informed Chief Judge Boasberg that he no longer wished to be represented by Mr. Woodward and that, going forward, he wished to be represented by the First Assistant Federal Defender.”
According to the court filing, “Immediately after receiving new counsel, Trump Employee 4 retracted his prior false testimony and provided information that implicated Nauta, [Carlos] De Oliveira, and Trump in efforts to delete security camera footage, as set forth in the superseding indictment.”
The filing continued:
The Government anticipates calling Trump Employee 4 as a trial witness and expects that he will testify to conduct alleged in the superseding indictment regarding efforts to delete security footage. Trump Employee 4 will very likely face cross-examination about his prior inconsistent statements in his grand jury testimony, which occurred while Mr. Woodward represented him, and which he disavowed immediately after obtaining new counsel.
Trump was indicted on 37 counts over his retention of government documents in June, including violation of the Espionage Act and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Trump was hit with another three counts in July over the alleged destruction of surveillance footage at Mar-a-Lago.
Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira — the maintenance chief at Mar-a-Lago — were also indicted on eight and four charges respectively over their alleged part in the destruction of surveillance footage.
