Witness in Trump classified documents case retracted ‘prior false testimony,’ DOJ says

The threat of perjury charges and a government-led push for a Mar-a-Lago worker to consult with a new attorney led him to retract prior testimony and formed the basis for the superseding indictment of former President Trump and others involved in the probe.

Yuscil Taveras, a Mar-a-Lago IT worker, has previously been identified as the employee who flipped, teeing up additional charges for Trump and his valet Walt Nauta as well as property manager Carlos De Oliveira as part of an alleged effort to delete security footage.

But a Tuesday filing detailing special counsel Jack Smith’s use of the Washington, D.C., grand jury provided more of the backstory on Taveras’s decision and highlights the potential value of getting Mar-a-Lago employees to speak with lawyers not paid for by Trump.

It also details the government’s role in prompting Taveras’s change in attorney as Smith is currently engaged in a battle to have Nauta and De Oliveira similarly review the potential conflicts of their attorneys.

Taveras was initially represented by Stanley Woodward, who represents Nauta in the case as well as several other Mar-a-Lago employees. But he “immediately” retracted prior false statements after speaking with a court-appointed attorney. 

The threat of perjury charges for Taveras were “entirely due to his false sworn denial before the grand jury in the District of Columbia that he had information about obstructive acts that would implicate Nauta (and others).”

Prosecutors requested a so-called Garcia hearing to review Woodward’s representation of Taveras, identified as Trump Employee 4 in court documents, shortly after informing him he was a target in their investigation.

“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. 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,” prosecutors wrote.

A D.C.-based judge granted the Justice Department request, and Taveras swiftly chose to remain represented by a public defender.

“Immediately after receiving new counsel, Trump Employee 4 retracted his prior false testimony and provided information that implicated Nauta, De Oliveira, and Trump in efforts to delete security camera footage, as set forth in the superseding indictment,” the DOJ wrote.

The filing details that prosecutors were using a D.C.-based grand jury in the Mar-a-Lago case as recently as Aug. 17, though they likewise presented evidence to a Florida grand jury before seeking an indictment there.

The discussion comes after Woodward raised questions over prosecutors’ use of the D.C. grand jury — something they note he did not contest when they first raised concerns with Taveras.

Smith’s team has since requested two more Garcia hearings to review conflicts in the case.

Woodward’s ongoing representation of Nauta comes as he is also representing “at least seven other individuals who have been questioned in connection with the investigation,” the DOJ wrote earlier this month, including those it may call as witnesses against Nauta.

Prosecutors have likewise requested a hearing for De Oliveira’s attorney John Irving, noting he still represents three witnesses in the case, which they say “raises the possibility that he might be in the position of cross-examining current clients.”

In both cases, the DOJ has asked not only for a hearing but for the court to bring in outside attorneys who could advise Nauta and De Oliveira.