A witness in former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago classified documents case has retracted a false statement, according to special counsel Jack Smith.
Smith shared that the witness, believed to be IT director Yuscil Taveras, gave new evidence to prosecutors in the case.
Key witness in Trump Mar-a-Lago documents case retracted 'prior false statement': Jack Smith https://t.co/wqBbfjZqoK
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 23, 2023
“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 court filings said, according to the Washington Examiner.
"Assistant special counsel David Harbach, who signed the new filing, revealed the details of the reversal in a filing to Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, an appointee of Trump who is overseeing the classified documents case," it added.
Key witness in Donald Trump court case changes statement - causing 9 new charges https://t.co/lg8AcJ4IBK pic.twitter.com/7Y9VaFV0Nt
— MirrorUSNews (@MirrorUSNews) August 23, 2023
"The U-turn changed the course of the federal probe led by Special Counsel Jack Smith that charged the Republican with 37 felonies, resulting in the addition of three more against Trump plus six against his co-defendants," the Mirror reported.
"The document, which referred to Taveras as 'Trump Employee 4,' states: 'He repeatedly denied or claimed not to recall any contacts or conversations about the security footage at Mar-a-Lago,'" it added.
NEW: Key witness against former President Trump and his co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago documents case recanted previous false testimony and provided new information implicating the defendants after switching lawyers, according to a new court filing. https://t.co/lIhg3P2WPz
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 22, 2023
"Taveras is at least the second person to have offered new testimony after having switched from an attorney with ties to Trump," NBC News stated.
"Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, gave investigators from the House Jan. 6 committee more damaging testimony about Trump's and Meadows' conduct in the lead-up to the Capitol riot after she parted ways with her first Trump-allied lawyer," it noted.
The changes add to other indictments facing Trump in both Washington and Georgia over issues following the 2020 election.
Trump now faces 91 charges in a total of four indictments that many argue are political, seeking to stop him from running for president in 2024.
So far, the former president has remained strong in polls, leading all GOP candidates by a wide margin despite the legal troubles.
