Former Mar-a-Lago information technology director Yuscil Taveras reportedly has agreed to cooperate with special counsel Jack Smith’s office in exchange for not facing criminal charges.
ABC News reported the former IT director has agreed to testify in the trials of former President Donald Trump, his aide Walt Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira, who have been charged with crimes stemming from the alleged mishandling of classified documents by Trump.
Trump, Nauta, and De Oliveira have all pleaded not guilty.
Taveras, listed as “Trump Employee 4” in the indictment, entered into the agreement with federal prosecutors after receiving a target letter in June from Smith, warning that he was likely to be charged with perjury for allegedly making false statements to a grand jury in March, according to ABC News.
Taveras switched attorneys after receiving the target letter, having previously been represented by Nauta’s attorney Stanley Woodward.
CNN reported that prosecutors had argued that Woodward would face conflicts of interest “if the defense lawyer has to cross-examine his former client.”
According to sources, under the agreement Smith’s office reached with Taveras, the special counsel “agreed to not prosecute Taveras for allegedly perjuring himself in exchange for his truthful testimony that detailed the conduct underpinning the new obstruction allegations in the superseding indictment” filed against Trump, Nauta, and De Oliveira in July, according to ABC News.
“In his prior testimony, sources said Taveras had denied speaking to De Oliveira about a request from Nauta to delete surveillance footage at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate that allegedly showed the movement of boxes containing classified materials after Trump had received a subpoena from the government demanding he return any such materials remaining in his possession,” the outlet added.
The superseding indictment alleged that De Oliveira pushed Taveras to delete the sever containing Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage allegedly at the request of “the boss,” referring to Trump.
Taveras responded that he did not believe he had the right to do so without the approval of an employee who worked in security for the Trump Organization.
ABC News noted that prosecutors have not charged Trump, Nauta and De Oliveira with deleting the footage.
The New York Post reported in July that Trump has denied ordering the security footage erased and that Smith’s office has it all.
In a post on Truth Social in July, the 45th president wrote in all capital letters, “MAR-A-LAGO SECURITY TAPES WERE NOT DELETED. THEY WERE VOLUNTARILY HANDED OVER TO THE THUGS, HEADED UP BY DERANGED JACK SMITH. WE DID NOT EVEN GO TO COURT TO STOP THEM FROM GETTING THESE TAPES. I NEVER TOLD ANYBODY TO DELETE THEM.”
“PROSECUTORIAL FICTION & MISCONDUCT! ELECTION INTERFERENCE!” the former president added.
The Post reported that Trump attorney Alina Habba stated on “Fox News Sunday” at the time, “What was the obstruction of justice? Because no tapes were deleted. He turned them over, he cooperated as he always does. But they would like the American public to believe in these bogus indictments,” referring to federal prosecutors.
“When he has his turn in court and when we get to file our papers, you will see that every single video, every single surveillance tape that was requested, was turned over,” she continued.
“If President Trump didn’t want something turned over,” Habba said, “I assure you, that is something that could have been done. But he never would act like that.”
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via westernjournal
