This week, it was revealed that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows betrayed his former boss, President Donald Trump, by telling special counsel Jack Smith’s investigators that he has no memory of Trump issuing directives or engaging in discussions regarding the declassification of extensive sets of classified documents prior to Meadows’ departure.
Meadows asserts that he is unaware of any permanent order from Trump authorizing the automatic declassification of materials removed from the Oval Office. These details were provided to ABC News by sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
Since August of the previous year, when the FBI confiscated more than 100 classified documents from his Mar-a-Lago home, Trump has consistently maintained that he authorized the declassification of all of the aforementioned information prior to the end of his presidency.
Now, we have learned of a new “flip.” It appears that the federal government is targeting individuals in Trump’s orbit.
According to prosecutors, the director of information technology at Mar-a-Lago recanted their previous “false testimony” in the special counsel Jack Smith-led case concerning the alleged mismanagement of sensitive data by former President Donald Trump. This recantation occurred after the individual changed legal counsel and became aware of potential perjury-related charges.
The individual referred to as “Trump Employee 4” in a court filing by the Justice Department and widely identified as Yuscil Taveras by multiple media outlets has provided prosecutors with information regarding alleged efforts to erase surveillance camera recordings obtained from the Palm Beach, Florida business and residence of the ex-president.
Throughout his testimony before the grand jury in the District of Columbia in March 2023, Trump Employee 4 consistently denied or asserted a lack of recollection of any interactions or discussions pertaining to the security footage at Mar-a-Lago, according to a court filing by the Department of Justice.
A formal notification was sent to the employee 12 days after Trump’s indictment informing them of their potential criminal liability for perjury. The government asserts that this liability is exclusively the result of the employee’s false sworn denial made during their grand jury appearance.
Taveras realized that Stanley Woodward’s representation of Walt Nauta, who is also accused in the case along with Trump, could pose a potential conflict of interest.
According to the filing made on Tuesday, “The target letter to Trump Employee 4 crystallized a conflict of interest arising from Mr. Woodward’s concurrent representation of Trump Employee 4 and Nauta.”
The filing laid out that “Advising Trump Employee 4 to correct his sworn testimony would result in testimony incriminating Mr. Woodward’s other client, Nauta; but permitting Trump Employee 4’s false testimony to stand uncorrected would leave Trump Employee 4 exposed to criminal charges for perjury.”
“Moreover, an attorney for Trump had put Trump Employee 4 in contact with Mr. Woodward, and his fees were being paid by Trump’s political action committee (PAC).”
Taveras decided to substitute Woodward as his legal counsel with a public defender in the month of July. Taveras later recanted his grand jury testimony and “provided information implicating Nauta, [Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos] De Oliveira, and Trump in efforts to delete security camera footage.”
Taveras’ recantation and altered testimony resulted in the issuance of an amended indictment against Nauta, De Oliveira, and even former President Trump in July.
Trump has vehemently refuted any allegations of impropriety regarding the issue.
The trial is scheduled to take place in a Miami courthouse on May 20, 2024.
Today, Trump addressed another case in which he is being indicted in the state of Georgia by a local district attorney who campaigned on the indictment and is using it to raise funds.
“NOBODY HAS EVER FOUGHT FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY LIKE PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP. FOR DOING SO, I WILL PROUDLY BE ARRESTED TOMORROW AFTERNOON IN GEORGIA. GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
In a second post, Trump declared:
“For the first time in three years, brave American Patriots will be able, in Court, to show how the Presidential Election of 2020 was RIGGED & STOLLEN [sic]. For those RINOS, Radical Left Democrats, Communists, Marxists, Fascists , & others who say, “Don’t Look Back, Look Forward,” they either do not want to reveal the answers because they “got away with murder,” or are FOOLS & COWARDS because we now know the answers to all of the Fraud, Irregularities, & Cheating, & WE CANNOT LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!”
Shortly thereafter, he posted a reminder to watch him tonight on Tucker Carlson’s program instead of the Republican primary debate hosted by Fox News, which he will not attend because he is so far ahead in the surveys.
“MY INTERVIEW WITH TUCKER CARLSON WILL BE AIRED TONIGHT AT 9:00 P.M. “SPARKS WILL FLY.” ENJOY!”